Building the first transcontinental networking academy for African & European digital innovation hubs.
Location:
Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana
Background
From 2021-2024, in partnership with the African Technology Business Network (ATBN), Stav & Eunice empowered European and African Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) through capacity building and strategic networking. As part of the AfriConEU, we united a consortium of 11 organisations across Africa and Europe, spanning diverse sectors – tech, academia, social enterprises, nonprofits, and policy.
Our approach
Understanding African DIHs: Identify the unique roles, needs, and support mechanisms for African DIHs.
Research-driven design: Conducted six months of comprehensive research across four African countries and Europe, encompassing 60 interviews and 4 roundtables. This data informed all project activities and outputs. Read the full report.
Training & education : Led numerous workshops, masterclasses, and webinars, engaging with hundreds of hub leaders.
Knowledge sharing: Went beyond project requirements, sharing insights through blogs, presentations, reports, and academic papers, including "Catalyzing Local Digital Innovation Ecosystems in Africa", at Catalyst 2023 international yearly event, presenting at the 11th Annual International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD)- "Catalyzing Digital Innovation Towards the SDGs in Africa: The Role of Digital Innovation Hubs", and moderating a panel on "Tech-Innovation: Perspectives from Diverse Ecosystems and Geographies", in GSG Impact Summit.
Strategic dissemination: Developed impactful dissemination strategies, ensuring project learnings translated into actionable recommendations for future interventions.
Gender lens: Integrated a gender lens throughout the initiative, ensuring inclusivity and equitable outcomes.
Locally grounded impact: Prioritised bottom-up approaches, leveraging local networks and co-creation with partners to amplify local voices.
Impact
Empowered DIHs: Equipped hubs with the tools and knowledge to become more sustainable, self-sufficient, and gender-balanced.
Expert network: Solidified experts in local innovation ecosystems in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Knowledge resources: Developed a comprehensive toolkit and project summary report that can be used for future projects.
Testimonials
"Stav and Eunice’s commitment to excellence greatly contributed to the overall success of the project. Their in-depth knowledge of the African ecosystem and extensive network of contacts were invaluable."
Porto Business School, Purtugal
"Stav and Eunice brought invaluable expertise. Their role in creating synergies fostered collaboration and directly boosted project visibility. Their research contributions provided crucial insights that shaped the project's direction."
Youth Makers Hub (YMH), Greece
For Hapa, Stav’s guidance has been invaluable. Thank you for your invaluable report! Also, for the quality of the speakers you brought on board. I am still in touch with some of them in my network. Thank you.
HapaSpace, Ghana