The call for submissions ended on January 31, 2020. Applicants will be judged on several criteria including innovation, scalability, affordability, modularity, and sustainability.
Africa50’s Innovation Challenge provides you with an unparalleled opportunity to get your solution in front of our investment team and project funding partners, as well as gain exposure in Africa’s leading tech events.
The first edition of the Africa50 Innovation Challenge was launched by the pan-African investment platform, Africa50, at the 2019 Transform Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, with a mission to find novel solutions to increase access to affordable internet in under-served areas in Africa
The Africa50 Innovation Challenge is an initiative of Africa50, the pan-African infrastructure investment platform.
The first edition of the Challenge called for solutions to improve last-mile connectivity to increase access to reliable and affordable internet in underserved areas in Africa.
A worldwide search over five months yielded 673 proposals, with over 80% from Africa.
The winning solutions will receive cash prizes and/or will be considered for project development funding. Projects will be rolled-out in Rwanda as the pilot country, with the objective to scale to other countries in Africa.
last mile internet connectivity
“Significantly increase access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet in under-served areas in Africa”
Rwanda
Africa50 is looking for the most innovative infrastructure and tech solutions which enable people to connect
to the
internet in their daily lives through fixed and mobile devices.
Recent World Bank studies show that an additional 10% internet penetration can lift GDP by 1-4% in developing countries and that African firms using the internet are nearly four times as productive per employee as those that do not.
Internet connectivity has a strong multiplier effect on economies as it drives increased exposure to information, innovation, and knowledge, at reduced costs. It enables access to education, health, and other social services, as well as employment and job creation opportunities. Internet connectivity also enables small businesses to access international markets and allows new industries to spring up.
Africa is at a crossroads with a range of development needs. Providing the strongest foundation for advanced, inclusive growth, last mile connectivity will enable the continent to leapfrog traditional solutions and unlock the potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Rwanda has made significant efforts to foster the development of the ICT sector, including creating an enabling policy and legal framework and investing in a national high-speed fiber-optic backbone that spans across the country.
Rwanda's Vision 2020 development program aims to attract technology companies from Africa and all over the world to create an innovation ecosystem and knowledge-based economy with pan-African impact.
Cash prize and/or project development funding
Access to B2B matching services to connect with new partners
Integrate Africa50’s pipeline of bankable projects
Opportunity to pitch your solution at AfricaCom and Transform Africa, the largest tech events in Africa
Technical support to improve your project’s investment readiness
Opportunity to scale your solution to Africa50’s shareholder countries
(28 at present)
14 May 2019
Challenge launch at Transform Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda
January 31 2020
Deadline for sending applications
February-June 2020
Assessments
July 29 2020
Finalists will be announced during the Webinar
November 2020
Winners will be announced at AfricaCom 2020
The Solution can address the problem for a large number of users at relatively low cost per new user. It can expand nationality and internationally.
The Solution is economically viable such so that industry players and consumers can reasonably access the solution and the cost barrier is not high.
The Solution is built in such a way that its constituent parts can function on their own and be assembled in different ways in order to meet diverse user needs. It can be plugged into the aspects of the internet-connectivity value chain.
The Solution can address the problem with news/original ideas and methods.
The Solution is economically viable so that industry players and consumers can reasonably access the solution and the cost barrier is not high
Throughout Rwanda within 12 months, meaning that field trials and relevant approvals have been granted in key geographies, or can be obtained within the necessary frame.
Africa50’s mandate is to help bridge Africa’s infrastructure funding gap by facilitating project development, mobilizing public and private sector finance and investing in infrastructure on the continent.
Africa50 focuses on medium to large scale projects that have a significant development impact and that provide an appropriate risk adjusted return to investors. Bringing project development and financing together in one institution, Africa50 seeks to provide support at every stage of the project cycle
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