Fórum Tech Hubs España-África

Throughout the continent, Africa is experiencing exponential growth in new business creation through young technology-based entrepreneurs solving a range of challenges such as payments through mobile devices, crop control, administrative processes, etc.

This process is structured through co-working spaces, which offer cost savings, enable internet access, appropriate electricity supplies and the creation of an ecosystem of innovative entrepreneurs where synergies occur. The World Bank estimates that there are about 90 co-working spaces in Africa, a conservative figure according to The Economist, which estimates around 120. What’s more, in other countries, including Spain, co-working spaces for innovative entrepreneurs have also emerged, but with a focus and philosophy based on generating synergies and contacts rather than saving costs.

Therefore, Casa África is organising this activity at its headquarters in collaboration with the Government of the Canary Islands through the Canary Islands Society for Economic Development (PROEXCA) and the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and the Information Society (ACIISI) as well as the Canary Islands Cluster for Technology Excellence.

The forum consists of four parts. It will begin with a roundtable discussion on the potential of new technologies in Africa and continue with two sessions of papers. The first session is on the strategic plans in South Africa, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Senegal, Mauritania and Cape Verde; and the second session is on success stories from Spain and these countries.

The aim is to prioritise the following subsectors:

Developing applications for mobile devices
Tools for electronic administration (e-gov and smart cities)
Business management

Finally, a space will be set up to promote networking among African and Spanish companies and institutions as the aim is to have participation from institutional representatives and companies that are currently in these countries’ technology hubs and have been highlighted as success stories.

The main objective of this forum is for entrepreneurs belonging to technology parks or incubators to build contacts in other markets and have access to talented entrepreneurs, in order to generate synergies for the development of joint projects or collaboration agreements for commercialisation in new growth markets.