500 Global Partners With GIZ to Support African Accelerators
The German economic development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and its Make-IT in Africa initiative have teamed up with the US-based venture capital firm 500 Global to launch the Bootcamp for Accelerator Managers (BAM) program, which will support African accelerators in their efforts to support the continent’s talented entrepreneurs.
The BAM program aims to broaden the influence of high-potential accelerators in Kenya, South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, and Uganda. It will employ a project-based learning approach with real-world examples taken from Make-IT in Africa’s experience assisting national and pan-African entrepreneurial ecosystems in becoming resilient, as well as from 500 Global’s experience managing more than 80 accelerator programs globally.
On November 14, BAM will begin in Nairobi, Kenya, with a five-day bootcamp for selected accelerator managers from throughout Africa. This will be followed by a 12-month virtual program that will go further into best practices for managing a top-notch accelerator.
“500 Global is excited to collaborate with GIZ to provide African accelerators with the resources they need to support businesses. Since investing in African businesses ten years ago, 500 has remained enthusiastic about the expansion of the continent’s innovation industry. According to Mareme Dieng, 500 Global’s Africa head, “we think that local accelerators, like the ones joining BAM, will be leading the next phase of this transformation.
“This program is another another pillar of Make-IT in Africa’s initiatives to foster African innovation on a local, pan-African, and international level. We use a hands-on approach, along with our partner 500 Global, to connect seasoned coaches with African accelerators while also creating links between African and worldwide networks. Beyond the program’s boundaries, African startups and entrepreneurs can gain from the best practices used by accelerators all around the continent, according to Matthias Rehfeld, director of Make-IT in Africa.
