This report is a second assessment of the mLabs (mobile application labs) program following the 2014 assessment: Do mLabs Make a Difference? This second assessment focuses on essentially the same three questions as the first assessment.
... See More + In September 2016, the infoDev mLab program engaged Sonjara, Inc. to perform this rapid assessment in Armenia (mLab Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, and Central Asia), Kenya (m:lab East Africa), Senegal (CTIC/mLab West Africa), and South Africa (mLab Southern Africa). This second assessment is based on an examination and visits to each mLab, with more than 160 field interviews and facilitated focus group discussions. The team analyzed more than 70 mLab-supported companies, conducting in-depth interviews with 59 mLabs start-ups as well as with mLab staff, investors, comparable start-ups, customers, and others in the ecosystem. The team also performed a review of documents, data, and materials provided by the mLabs and companies, as well as collecting leading practices and background research from industry and stakeholder sources. The report findings show that, since their launch in 2010 and since the 2014 assessment, mLabs have coevolved with their ecosystems, both influencing and being influenced by rapidly changing environments, marked by increased involvement by the private sector in both incubation and investment, and the rapid changes and improvements in technology infrastructure. The mLabs’ impacts on start-ups, start-up customers and on the digital entrepreneurship infrastructure are discussed. Recommendations are given strengthening program management among other things.
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This report is an assessment of the relevance of the CodeBus Africa project from the perspective of local partners. CodeBus Africa organized beginner level computer programming workshops in collaboration with 15 African partners in 10 Sub-Saharan African countries in 2017.
... See More + The overall purpose of the project was to promote and inspire equal participation of girls and boys in technology education, to build local capacity for teaching student-centered beginner-level programming and to boost collaboration between Finnish and African innovators. The study considers the extent to which a short-term collaboration such as CodeBus Africa, along with its offering of basic technical bootcamps, is deemed useful and valuable by African technology hubs. The findings suggest that the outcomes the partners mostly valued were: extension of networks, adopting a new coding education program (Sonic Pi), developing a new student-centered teaching practice for technology education, public visibility, and organizational learning including tech education management and teacher training skills among the local partners’ staff. For designing a scalable technology training program, the study highlights the following findings and recommendations: the need to dedicate personnel to focus on the youth training program and pedagogical development, to include business model development as a core activity, to identify local and global organizations as funding partners, to develop a local partner network for implementation, and to continue collaborating with CodeBus partners - Finnish embassies, Nokia and World Bank.
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The development objective of the Industry and Entrepreneurship Project for Kenya is to increase innovation and productivity in select private sector firms.
... See More + It has three components. First component, strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem aims to improve the survival and growth rates of technology-enabled startups in Kenya through a stronger innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem and talent base; Second component, SME linkages and upgrading aims to strengthen the productivity and internal capabilities for innovation of Kenyan SMEs, so that they can better compete for local and international market opportunities. It will support SMEs in improving their managerial and technical skills and their use and access to technology, and contribute towards the creation of local content. This component will finance diagnostics and performance-based contracts to select SMEs; Third component, outreach, M&E, and project implementation support is to provide resources for: (a) communications to facilitate diffusion and replication of promising innovations, (b) monitoring and evaluation (M&E) analyses to ensure the implementation and sustainability of the Project’s activities, and (c) project implementation support, through the Project Implementation Unit (PIU). This component will finance the design and implementation of an overall Project communications strategy, and dissemination tools to inform stakeholders on the Project’s progress and facilitate replicability of early success stories.
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The development objective of Innovative Private Sector Development Project is to improve economic opportunities for individuals and firms in the West Bank and Gaza.
... See More + This project has three components. 1) The first component, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development, has the following four activities: (i) Improving market linkages to Arab communities in regional entrepreneurship ecosystems; (ii) Developing a dynamic startup finance ecosystem with a core focus on organized angel investing; (iii) New automated company registration system; and (iv) Developing home-based businesses framework. 2) The second component, Building an Outsourcing Hub in Gaza, aims to develop the outsourcing model and piloting expansion of an existing organization in Gaza. 3) The third component, Project Management, aims to be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the overall project planning, coordination, and technical and fiduciary supervision.
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Technology is one of the main drivers of productivity and economic growth. Developing countries have traditionally had difficulties in both developing technology and absorbing foreign technology.
... See More + However, the recent emergence of tech startups present an opportunity. Tech start-ups are an effective a mechanism to both create local technology and absorb foreign technology. The objective of this report is to provide a better understanding of the status of start-up ecosystem in West Bank and Gaza, and provide policy recommendations for policy makers and other stakeholders who are interested in supporting the growth and sustainability of the ecosystem. The report is based on an in-depth survey of startups and supportive stakeholders of the ecosystem. The findings point out to an early stage start-up that is maturing. Skills, supportive infrastructure, finance pipeline, and community and networks are examined and gaps are identified. Policy recommendations to tackle these gaps are presented based on international practices.
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