African Innovation Week Kicks Off

Addis Ababa  October  28  /2019 The first African Innovation Week that aims to enhance innovation in different parts of the continent kicked off here today.

In his opening remark, African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said the innovation week is in line with African Union’s flagship project, Agenda 2063.

It will be an important platform to create new value chains, new markets, address the question of youth unemployment, and attract more investors, among others, he added.

Innovation and Technology Minister Getahun Mekuria on his part underlined the importance of the event to create opportunity for the African youth to become employers and job creators in the service and industry sectors.

The six-day event is reportedly aimed at creating platform for African policy makers, researchers, academicians, investors, and international stakeholders to eye the gap of the continent in the area of innovation.

Moreover, it will serve as showcase innovative startup that makes significant impact on the lives of hundreds of millions of Africans with innovative ideas and job creation.

Some 200 hundred young African innovators startups from Nigeria, Togo, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia will be pitching their projects throughout the six days event. Of these 50 finalists will win 1,000 USD and the top 5 prize winners will be awarded 5,000 USD each, it was learned.

Ministry of Innovation and Technology, African Union Commission, Oslo International Hub and Independent Business Accelerators (IBA) Ethiopia Center for Innovation organized the African Innovation Week.