African Technology Foundation (ATF) and the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) have announced a partnership aimed at supporting the development of African technology and a new generation of African entrepreneurs.
With both ATF and MEST having operations in Silicon Valley, the partners said the agreement will see them leveraging their cross-continental presence to identify and evaluate technology related opportunities in Africa, as well as promote scholarship and mentorship opportunities for African entrepreneurs.
Under the partnership, ATF and MEST will mutually develop their respective and collective business interests in the internationalization of African technologies; develop global opportunities for the investment in, and mentoring of, African entrepreneurs; and will leverage existing partnerships and networks to support pan-African technology ecosystems.
“Central to this [partnership]is the bridging of knowledge gaps for aspiring African entrepreneurs that are either starting new ventures or scaling up their existing operations. Africa’s future will be hugely reliant on the rapid growth of knowledge economies and the entrepreneurial endeavors of a youthful population driven by stage agnostic technologies,” said Stephen Ozoigbo, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of ATF.
“We are delighted to be teaming with MEST, whose training programme has empowered hundreds of entrepreneurs in West Africa and provided a unique and globally recognized platform for driving technology based investments to the region,” Ozoigbo said.
“African Technology Foundation has done a superior job at bridging the gap and connecting the dots between innovators in Africa and tech forces in Silicon Valley and beyond,” said Neal Hansch, managing director, MEST incubator.
“We strongly believe this partnership with ATF will benefit our trainees and incubated companies at MEST by furthering their reach and visibility. We’re excited to work together for years to come and collaborate for the benefit of increased entrepreneurship and recognition of the skilled developers and tech talent across the continent.”
