Emmanuel Macron, President of France, announced an investment of €30 million over the next three years to support the initiative Africa Digital and programs that engage key stakeholders within Africa's technology ecosystem, including startups, venture capital programs, incubators, technology parks and universities.
Macron made the announcement during the recently held New Africa-France Summit in Montpellier, alongside members of the Digital Africa team who unveiled new programs.
These programs include the Fuzé project, which focuses on Francophone Africa and aims to support at least 200 tech startups in early 2022 with the launch of a new small fund (in stages, from €10.000 to €200.000) in the form of of repayable loans.
Digital Africa has also joined forces with Make IT and the German government to create Talent4StartUps, a scholarship program designed to meet the needs of talent who have been trained in digital technology and whose beneficiaries will be brought into contact with recruiting startups.
More broadly, Digital Africa will continue to develop non-financial activities (knowledge production, training, networking, research and support for the evolution of regulatory frameworks) while having the opportunity to raise funds from other public or private donors.
Digital Africa aims to innovate in governance, with a rigorous, partnership-based approach. The aim is to better reflect the diversity of African technological ecosystems, from a geographic perspective, ensuring that all major regions of the continent are represented, and from a skills perspective, bringing together entrepreneurs, but also investors, training and research representatives, organizations, incubators and experts in innovation policy.
Digital Africa announced a roadshow scheduled for the end of this quarter and will stop in several African regions to strengthen connections with key partners and actors in African ecosystems, promote programs and invite African startups to apply.
