The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) through its Grand Challenges Africa Programme has launched an innovative platform for African innovators to connect with partners who can provide funding, help them scale-up and commercialize their innovations. The platform dubbed ‘Grand Challenges Africa Innovation Network (GCAiN)’ will provide innovators with the resources they need to succeed.

According to Dr. Moses Alobo, Grand Challenges Africa (GC Africa) Programme Manager; “Innovation is a risky affair that requires long term investment and whose results are not always immediate. This is the reason we at GC Africa are providing this as a sustainable and long-term funding strategy for research and innovation.”

GCAiN has been developed to support innovators who have developed transformative ideas but have limited entrepreneurial capacity development, poor funding, unfavorable regulatory policies, and lack access to essential market connections by linking them with the various innovation players in a cost-effective way.

The virtual network polls together Africa based projects and ventures with a scale-up potential, enabling them to find support as well as provide a space for players in the innovation sphere to be kept abreast of developments in the sector along with opportunities for face to face meetups.

GCAiN is a game-changer for the innovation space and will be crucial in ensuring that ideas get the support they need to make it to market and to impact African lives.

Photo courtesy / AAS

Article by Jedidah Mwangi

https://www.aasciences.africa/news/africa-world-connecting-african-innovators-and-ideas-industry