Universal Curriculum to address the needs of the African entrepreneurs

Posted on September 20, 2021 Updated on October 11, 2023

AfriLabs, Strathmore partner to develop African incubation curriculum

AfriLabs-Africa’s umbrella body that brings together innovation hubs across the continent entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Strathmore University’s Research and innovation Centre, @iLabAfrica for the development of a universal incubation curriculum to be rolled out across continent.

The curriculum has been developed through the @iBizAfrica incubation unit of @iLabAfrica and has seen the generation of an academic tailored training content, suited to address the needs of the African entrepreneurs and grow the African dream.

AfriLabs programs team led by Director of Programs Nanko Madu visited Strathmore University for the official launch and roll out in a meeting that was also attended by host Vice Chancellor Designate, Dr. Vincent Ogutu, @iLabAfrica Director Dr. Joseph Sevilla, @iBizAfrica incubation manager Ms. Linda Kwamboka among other players in the incubation industry.

Through the new content, the different innovation hubs spread across the continent will be provided with a curriculum that resonates with the specific needs of entrepreneurs in the sub regions in East Africa, Central Africa, South Africa, North Africa and West Africa while also trying to address common challenges.

Speaking during the event, Dr. Ogutu lauded AfriLabs efforts of supporting innovation centers across the continent through capacity building, training and access to capital, citing that it was important supporting the African dream from within.

“This is a good idea of bringing together incubators across Africa to work together especially Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria which have a vibrant entrepreneurial culture.

“Incubations mean a lot for the growth of startups and the economy at large, many African economies are made of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which make a lot of contributions to the economy” said Dr. Ogutu.

According to a 2018 World Bank Report, there has been disconnect between industry, angel donors, venture capitalists and research in Africa. This has resulted in few Research and Development (R&D) outputs being scaled up. The lack of training and capacity building also compounds the challenges meaning that quite often African innovations rarely grow beyond just being an idea or prototype in the hubs.

The head of programs at AfriLabs expressed confidence in the new partnership with Strathmore University, citing the huge academic experience at the institution as a big asset that will aid in the success of many startups through access to relevant content.

“Our work involves building the capacity of startups and improving their chances of survival despite the numerous challenges. Strathmore brings its huge expertise in academia, they have done a lot here in Kenya through @iBizAfrica Centre and this marks the beginning of a bigger role in advancing startups in Africa” said Ms. Madu.

Ms. Madu further added that whereas many innovators in Africa have good ideas, it has been challenging to make them understand that entrepreneurship goes beyond an idea and a lot always has to be done for real actualization, saying that it will be made possible through education in the new design curriculum.

@iBizAfrica, started in 2012 has been instrumental in the support of startups in Kenya through mentorship, training, coaching and access to funds through competitions such as the ‘Women in Tech challenge’ which was implemented in collaboration with Standard Chartered Bank with the final winners getting a seed funding of 10,000 Euros to grow their business.

The Strathmore based incubator has supported more than 400 startups in the last nine years, registering a 78 percent success rate according to Administrator @iBizAfrica Diana Tiren.

The new collaboration also seeks to help startups address challenges in skills development and capacity to run institutions while also providing access to funding, networking forums, advocacy and public policies.

Deployment of the curriculum through the different regional centers will help foster networking and cross country collaborations, by sharing experiences, innovators will get to learn from each other, getting different approaches of advancing their work.

Entrepreneurship must be at the heart of efforts to transform Africa’s economic prospects, ecosystems to support African entrepreneurs, particularly small and medium firms, must also be tailored to the African context by stakeholders working with entrepreneurs along the entire growth path, rather than through a fragmented approach.

According to the African Development Bank (ADB,2021) 22 percent of Africa’s working-age population are starting businesses, presenting the highest entrepreneurship rate in the world. This demonstrates the need for innovation hubs and institutions coming up with good support systems that will create a thriving entrepreneurial culture in the continent as demonstrated by the collaboration between AfriLabs and @iBizAfrica.

About AfriLabs

AfriLabs is a network organization supporting Innovation Centers across African countries since 2011, founded upon the mission of building a community around the rapidly emerging technology hubs in Africa. 

These hubs serve as centers that provide support to African entrepreneurs, innovators, developers, and youths. By providing physical co-working and dedicated office spaces, as well as inclusive training and business, legal and financial support, we play an active role in helping to raise successful entrepreneurs who will create jobs and develop innovative solutions to African problems.