Bringing European and African Innovation Stakeholders Together: ENRICH In Africa Center Participates at Viva Tech 2024 Edition

ENRICH In Africa Center (EIA-C) is thrilled to announce its participation in this year's Viva Tech conference, Europe's premier startup and tech event. The conference will take place from May 22nd to 25th in Paris, France, and EIA-C will be showcasing its presence at the Europatech Area.

EIA-C, born out of the EU-funded project ENRICH In Africa, stands at the forefront of fostering collaboration between the innovation ecosystems of the European Union and the African Union. Over the course of its journey from January 2021, ENRICH In Africa has successfully facilitated connections among innovation actors from both continents, playing a pivotal role in advancing the AU-EU Innovation Agenda.

The EIA-C's mission is to be an innovation aggregator in the EU-AU innovation ecosystem, mobilising funding opportunities, fostering collaborations, collecting data resources, amplifying market access, and extending internationalisation efforts.

At Viva Tech, the ENRICH In Africa Center will showcase its achievements and initiatives, bringing together partners from both the ENRICH in Africa and SEADE project. SEADE, which stands for “Strengthening the Europe-Africa Digital Ecosystem through Increased R&I Cooperation,” is a new project focused on fostering AU-EU cooperation for Research and Innovation in Digital (R&IID) sectors. It is funded by the EU's Horizon Europe programme and will run for two years and prioritise digital transformation and international collaboration.

“I am looking forward to coming to VivaTech to meet and talk to start-ups and tech entrepreneurs about their market entry experiences. With SEADE we are investigating the barriers researchers in Ghana, Senegal, Kenya and South Africa face on their route to market. I would love to connect and identify collaboration and mutual learning opportunities with European researchers, startups and entrepreneurs,” said Jan Ertmann, SEADE project coordinator.

Commenting on EIA-C's participation, Center Manager Zandile Ntuli expressed excitement about engaging with a diverse array of stakeholders at Viva Tech. "As the EIA Center, we are thrilled to be part of the Viva Tech Exhibitors. We are eager to connect with innovation influencers, research luminaries, funding change-makers, institutions seeking exchanges between Europe and Africa, corporates interested in partnership for innovation, and ecosystem champions running programs to enhance startup skills. Our goal is to establish connections and potential future collaborations," said Ntuli.

The EIA-C's presence at Viva Tech signifies its commitment to bridging the gap between European and African innovation stakeholders and fostering meaningful collaborations that drive positive impact across both continents.

For more information about the ENRICH In Africa Center and its initiatives, please visit https://www.enrichinafrica.com/

For media inquiries contact: Melanie Mwangi I ENRICH In Africa Center Support Officer I m.mwangi@enrichinafrica.com