The United Nations Population Fund and AfriLabs have launched an incubation programme aimed at supporting ideas tackling female genital mutilation (FGM) and climate change.
UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office, under the flagship Safeguard Young People Programme, launched the Climate HackLab project in May 2021. The HackLab is a climate innovation project that aims to build climate resilience and generate innovative climate adaptation solutions led by young people, especially women and girls.
Meanwhile, the UNFPA FGM HackLab project aims to empower young people and offer them the opportunity to be game-changers and drivers of a sustainable green future. The project targets young innovators, especially women and girls, who have innovative solutions that will accelerate efforts toward UNFPA’s goal of ending gender-based violence and harmful practices by 2030.
Following successful training at the UNFPA Climate and FGM HackLab virtual bootcamps, six innovators were selected as winners in a follow-up pitch event and have been invited to participate in the UNFPA Incubation Programme.
UNFPA will leverage AfriLabs’ existing pipeline of innovation hubs across the locations of the innovators to provide a robust and intensive six-month incubation programme, which will entail capacity-building activities focused on product and business development of the selected innovations, and support with resources and opportunities to produce full-fledged viable and scalable innovations and solutions.
The selected hubs will provide incubation services to the UNFPA Climate and FGM HackLab top innovators via online and offline channels throughout the programme.
The selected innovators are Agnes Kimweri, founder of Agki Medical Laboratory Company (Tanzania); Agripa Maposa, CEO and founder of Tivwane Money Solution (Zambia); Joseph Mulabbi, team lead of AXCES Mobile System (Uganda); Dirug Samuel Yugoro, team lead of Big Family 360 Foundation (Nigeria); Roukiatou Sedgo, team lead of Afriyan Burkina (Burkina Faso); and Deborah Nansanga, team lead of HERstory (Uganda).
AfriLabs selected a member hub in each of the innovators’ countries to carry out the incubation programme.
