Startups
Africa Gets $1 Billion Boost as UN Agency Backs Startup Hubs
- Initiative will open 10 hubs starting with one in Nigeria
- Project targets innovators in health and agriculture sectors
The United Nations Development Programme, African governments and the private sector plan to raise $1 billion and open a string of technology hubs across the continent to boost start-up innovation.
The first of 10 hubs that will form part of the world’s largest initiative supporting Africa’s technology startups will open at UNDP’s innovation center in Lagos, Nigeria, this week, the agency said in an emailed statement. It “is a key milestone in the journey towards sparking a start-up revolution on the continent,” said Ahunna Eziakonwa, assistant secretary-general and director of UNDP Africa Bureau.