Addis Ababa (Ethiopia Today) June 7,2023:- The Global Innovation Initiative Group (GIIG) and Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI), an autonomous quasi-governmental institution is set to host the Global Start up Awards Africa Summit in October 2023.
The annual event aims to unite the African startup ecosystem and celebrate the outstanding achievements of startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators from across the continent.
The Summit will bring together key stakeholders in African innovation – including leaders from industry, government, academia, and the wider ecosystem – to meet and engage with the continent’s top technology solutions. Here, startups will have the opportunity to participate in a series of solution exchange workshops, where they can connect with industry experts explore potential partnership opportunities.
The highlight of this year’s event will be the Gala Dinner, where fifteen regional finalists will be named African Winners of the 2022/23 Season of GSA Africa.
As African winners, these startups will be recognised for their exceptional role in addressing critical global challenges. Furthermore, they will have the exclusive opportunity to engage with the GIIG Africa Fund, offering a pathway to potential investment as future change makers.
Adding to this, GIIG and GSA Africa co-founder, Jo Griffiths, says: “Critically, we want this event to act as a spark for younger generations, to encourage them to explore the world of innovation as a promising career path.
Addis Ababa was announced as the ideal host city due to its thriving startup ecosystem, dynamic business environment, and commitment to nurturing entrepreneurial talent. The city has recently seen tremendous growth in the startup sector, climbing 72 places between 2022 and 2023 in the latest Startup Blink Global Ecosystem Ranking report . Funding for startups based in the capital has also seen an increase, rising by more than 800 per cent from 0.65 million USD in 2019 to 6 million USD in 2022.
“Our partnership with GIIG reaffirms our commitment to making Ethiopian a bastion of African prosperity by unleashing the immense entrepreneurial prowess, creativity, and innovative capacity of our talented youth in their millions. We believe Africa is the new frontier for world economic vitality.” says Muferihat Kamil, Minister of the Ministry of Labour and Skills.
