Making way for startups

Innovation is bubbling at the surface in digital hubs across West Africa as young entrepreneurs are determined to put technology at the forefront of development in the sub-Saharan Region. To support startups designing these solutions GIZ launched Make-IT in Africa as a pilot project on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. It also promotes the creation of sustainable business ecosystems for this new generation of entrepreneurs. Click on the photos to learn more about startups from West Africa and the GIZ Technology Initiative. 

“We enable doctors to set up practices in Nigeria”

Debu Odulana (29), Founder of Doctoora, a health technology startup in Lagos, Nigeria​

“It can be quite difficult to persuade African companies to invest in startups.”

Edmond Nonie (31), CEO at the startup Track Your Build in West Africa​

“We want to make Africa a land of opportunity.”

Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu (41), appointed Chief Executive Officer at Tony Elumelu Foundation in Lagos, Nigeria​

“The next generation of African kids won’t just be consumers of technology, they can become its creators.”

Tunji Eleso (41), managing partner at Co-Creation Hub in Lagos, Nigeria​

“We help promising startups find a foothold in the market.”

GIZ head of “Make-IT in Africa” programme Jan Schwaab talks us through technology entrepreneurship in West Africa​

Contact: Jan Schwaab, jan.schwaab@giz.de

January 2019