The Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation (SEZ) invited start-ups with a connection to Africa to exhibit in the “international corner” for the first time at this year’s start-up bw summit.
In doing so, it offered young social entrepreneurs with products from Africa the opportunity to present their company and at the same time contributed to the international networking of the Baden-Württemberg scene.
Three young entrepreneurs with a connection to Africa seized the opportunity. Kizito Odhiambo from Kenya offers with his company agriBORA Geo-information services for small farmers, with which harvest results are calculated and recommendations for cultivation are given. The day was very successful for Odhiambo. “I had a lot of exciting technical discussions about our idea and our offer,” he says. “I actually found an investor and someone who wants to support us in software development.”
The day also went well for Victor Thien and his company afringa, based in South Africa. “I was able to add new specialists to the database. It remains to be seen whether I have also gained customers for our service,” says the young entrepreneur. afringa is the first online business and career platform specializing exclusively in the African continent.
“The interest in my initiative was greater than I expected,” reports Babatunde Ogboru from Nigeria. He is the founder of Rethink Lagos – Institute of Entrepreneurship. The aim of the start-up is to create better conditions and sustainable growth in the Nigerian metropolis. “Companies and other social start-ups in particular have been interested in me and my business idea.” After successful networking, he sees the need to have his own To establish a network in Lagos and to bring innovative start-ups there into contact with one another. Babatunde Ogboru and his institute would like to promote partnerships between German and Nigerian companies. Rethink Lagos is ideally supported by the SEZ.
“I am thrilled at how many visitors to the summit came to our stand and the social entrepreneurs specifically because of their interest in the African continent,” says SEZ employee Lena Wimmer. “We see partnerships between social entrepreneurs from Baden-Württemberg and African countries as a great opportunity for both sides.”
The SEZ made contact with the social entrepreneurs represented at the start-up BW Summit 2019 in autumn 2018 during the ASA Autumn School for Sustainable Entrepreneurship, which she carried out in cooperation with Engagement Global.
