Africa’s most promising and exciting young entrepreneurs will showcase their latest innovations to the world at an event in London in March, the British Council has announced.
The three day Entrepreneurial Africa: London Showcase event takes place on March 21-23 and it brings together young entrepreneurs from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Sudan who will pitch their business ideas and innovations to established entrepreneurs and enterprises in the UK.
British Council Regional Director for Africa, Mandy Johnson said:
“Entrepreneurial Africa: London Showcase provides an opportunity for young African entrepreneurs to connect with people in the London start-up community and find potential partners to help scale up their businesses. We are optimistic this event will open up opportunities for collaboration between these individuals and institutions and ultimately create opportunities for economic growth in their countries.”
“This delegation of young African entrepreneurs represents some of the most exciting start-ups working on the continent today and they are meeting with their counterparts in the UK. By encouraging entrepreneurship and promoting social enterprise, the British Council is providing career opportunities for young people and helping to unleash their potential.”
The innovations on show at the event range from tailor-made solutions for businesses around energy and sustainability to mobile applications that provide farmers with real-time agricultural information and market intelligence that allows them to access finance.
Since 2013, the British Council has run a series of enterprise challenges across Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Sudan. Broadcast on TV and online, these initiatives have directly engaged 12,000 young entrepreneurs and reached a further 20 million young people.
Entrepreneurial Africa: London Showcase is the beginning of a cross continental collaboration designed to increase collaboration between British and African entrepreneurs.
The panel discussion will include speakers from major corporations, start-ups, investors and industry experts with strong business interest in Africa.
The keynote speech will be delivered by Chaney Ojinnaka, Founder and CEO of VendorMach. The event is at Code Node by Skills Matter in Moorgate, London.
Brief profiles of Entrepreneurs:
Kenya: Zeph Kivungi, Fucore International Limited
Fucore International Limited offers tailor-made solutions for businesses around energy and sustainability.
Nigeria: Eseoghene Odiete, Hesey Designs
Founded by young fashion designer Ese Odiete, Hesey Designs is an African-inspired accessories label at the forefront of turning African fabrics into contemporary fashion.
Nigeria: Nasir Yammama, Verdant
The Verdant app provides agricultural information, market intelligence and access to finance for farmers in Nigeria from pre-planting, to harvest and distribution.
South Africa: Jason Van Den Berg and Mario Demetriou, DroneSnap
DroneSnap is an online platform that provides on-demand professional drone operators for all forms of aerial imaging.
South Africa: Ridhwana Shaik, Save our Soles (SOS)
SOS merges traditional techniques and modern technology to create eco-friendly footwear for children and adults.
Sudan: Hassan Maisson, Fandora
Fandora aims to conserve Sudanese culture and heritage by designing accessories and furniture from local materials as well as recycled paper, plastic, glass and metal.
Sudan: Mutaz Salah, Tanolite
Tanolite is a lightweight brick used for fire and thermal insulation that is eco-friendly and enables faster construction.
Sudan: Mustafa Shaib, Broken Cipher
Broken Cypher is a cybersecurity firm dedicated to helping clients through training courses, information security services and consultation.
For more information, please visit: Entrepreneurial Africa
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.
We work in more than 100 countries and our 8,000 staff – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the arts and delivering education and society programmes.
We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A core publicly-funded grant provides 20 per cent of our turnover which last year was £864 million. The rest of our revenues are earned from services which customers around the world pay for, such as English classes and taking UK examinations, and also through education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and supports prosperity and security for the UK and globally.
For more information, please visit www.britishcouncil.org.