Qualcomm Launches Africa Innovation Platform

The Africa Innovation Platform, a collection of mentorship, education, and training initiatives developed to assist the growth of Africa’s burgeoning technology ecosystem, was officially unveiled today by Qualcomm Incorporated.

Through the platform, Qualcomm Technologies Inc. engineers and its cutting-edge capabilities suite for mobile platforms and technologies, including 4G, 5G, IoT, AI, and machine learning, will be made available to local colleges, small-to-medium sized startups, and award recipients.

Enrico Salvatori, Senior Vice President & President, Europe/Middle East and Africa, Qualcomm Europe, Inc., said: “The Africa Innovation Platform will stimulate innovation around product development, inspire learning, fuel research, and increase awareness around the value of intellectual property throughout the continent. “At its core, Qualcomm is an R&D engine, and we are thrilled that this program will simultaneously motivate the larger technological ecosystem while also inspiring the next generation of inventors,” said Qualcomm.

In order to launch the Africa Innovation Platform, Qualcomm personnel will interact and work with governments, trade associations, and other significant stakeholders across the continent, including the African Telecommunications Union (ATU).

The African Telecommunications Union (ATU), a staunch supporter of innovation, recently launched a youth innovation program for Africa with an estimated cost of roughly US$400,000. “ATU welcomes Qualcomm’s Africa Innovation Initiative and looks forward to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) together, catalyzing new business opportunities, and helping to solve problems in a variety of sectors, including education, health, agriculture, movement, trade, and government services.”

The following items make up Qualcomm’s Africa Innovation Platform:

First of its kind in Africa, the Qualcomm® Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program will identify promising early-stage startups eager to incorporate cutting-edge connectivity and processing technologies into cutting-edge end-to-end systems solutions, including hardware, and offer these businesses business coaching, access to engineering consultation for product development, and advice on intellectual property protection.

Qualcomm Africa University Relations Program: Through this program, Qualcomm® developer kits, learning platforms, and related training materials will be made available to selected African universities, research facilities, and students in order to enhance their capacity for research and education. The program will also collaborate with academic staff to create lab and course curricula.

Students from a few African institutions will be able to participate in Qualcomm Wireless Academy’s 5G University Training Program and obtain training and certification from top-tier engineers, thanks to the company’s expansion of the program.

Wireless Reach: Since 2007, Qualcomm has contributed to enduring projects in Africa that show creative ways to employ wireless technology to improve economic and social development. This is done through the Qualcomm® Wireless ReachTM initiative. Through a partnership with the International Telecommunication Union’s Development Bureau (ITU-D), Wireless Reach will carry on this work with the goal of fostering the early stages of the talent pipeline that will go on to drive the digital, inclusive economic transformation of Africa. This partnership will focus on developing early foundational digital skills for youth. Over the past 15 years, Wireless Reach’s 52 education projects have improved teaching and learning outcomes for nearly 1.2 million students and teachers in 20 countries to date.

“At Qualcomm, invention has always been a source of great passion. Elizabeth Migwalla, Vice President and Head of Government Affairs (Middle East and Africa), Qualcomm International, Inc., called the Africa Innovation Platform a “exciting new program that builds on our close work with governments, operators, and telecommunications standardization bodies over the past several years.” The initiatives that make up this platform will ultimately assist African businesses in reaching their worldwide goals and servicing markets across the entire continent, hence speeding the expansion of Africa’s creation economy.

The Africa Innovation Platform will assist African business owners and researchers in providing products and services to consumers across the entire continent as well as in engaging in a variety of economic activities in the fields of healthcare, education, agriculture, critical infrastructure, smart cities, and smart industries. This program is based on Qualcomm’s ongoing experience running successful programs of a similar nature in Vietnam, Taiwan, and India.

Midway through December 2022, applications will become available. Qualcomm Technologies will provide online webinars to provide information sessions on the initiative. On Qualcomm’s website, specifics on the application procedure, eligibility requirements, and program benefits will be published.