Sustainable Technology for Africa Competition - 2018 Edition

2 March 2018. Brussels. African Diaspora Projects Initiative 2018 call for projects. Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs, the African Diaspora Projects Initiative and VITO (Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek) joined forces to stimulate the sustainable economy in Africa.

Companies, (aspiring) entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists from the African diaspora with a great idea for a sustainable economy could participate in the “Sustainable Technologies for Africa”competition.

• In order to polish their ideas for a cleaner planet to perfection,selected teams will participate in a bootcamp and series of coaching sessions, where they will be coached by experts and experienced entrepreneurs. They will also be supported by selected students from Thomas More hogeschool. 
• At the end, teams will compete in a pitch contest attended by investors, government officials, African diplomats, development experts and other members of the public. The top-3 winners will get a social loan and in-kind support to realize their dream. 
• With the SusTech4Africa competition, VITO, the African Diaspora Projects Initiative and Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs will accelerate the founding and growth of cleantech industry in African Countries, by connecting local African and Belgian cleantech companies.

This initiative is with the support of the African Diaspora in Belgium including FAAB vzw, The Food Bridge vzw, Afropreneur Belgium, The One community, African Renaissance asbl, Networking for Africans in Belgium, De la Luna Agency, The One Community, Solidev asbl, Yabs Network and the Thomas More University.

1. Step 1: Selection Days – 8th and 9th of March, 2018 @ Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs office, Leuven. If the business idea is selected, applicants will be invited to participate in the Boot Camp, the Coaching Sessions and the Final Pitch Event.
2. Step 2: Boot Camp – 19th and 20th of March , 2018 @ Thomas More University, Mechelen. During the 2-day Boot Camp business coaches will teach on how to jumpstart a business. With the assistance of mentors applicants will further work out the idea, and develop a business pitch, which they will present
   
   to the other participants at the end of the Boot Camp. The open questions and assumptions that emerge during the Boot Camp will be the focus of the homework in the coaching sessions afterwards.
3. Step 3: Coaching Sessions – 27th of March, 3rd and 10th of April , 2018. During the coaching sessions applicants will work on specific aspects of their business idea and pitch. These can then be checked with the coaches to evaluate how their idea is developing. Each coaching session ends with a pitch rehearsal, where the coaches and other teams can provide feedback. 
   
4. Step 4: Final Pitch Event – 24th of April, 2018. In the Final Pitch Event applicants will present an elaborated pitch of their business idea to the public, to potential investors and representatives of the Revolving Loan Fund of Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs. A jury will choose the winners after deliberation.

Related:
In 2017 The Forgotten Green Heroes was one of the projects that got selected during the call focusing on the agro food sector. Having signed their contract with Ondernemers voor Ondernemers, they are now upscaling their project.

The forgotten Green Heroes is a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit making organisation which seeks to build capacity among the local forest communities and indigenous people at home and abroad, to better engage in decision making about issues that involved them; and to improve and safeguard the livelihood, well-being, and culture of the people living in and from the forest (the indigenous people and their
elites where ever they are).

Objectives:

• To enable human resource development through focused training, mentoring and learning by doing approaches;
• To strengthen communication, education and awareness-raising at all levels, especially at the local community levels;
• To encourage and strengthen full participatory of Indigenous people and integrated approaches in planning, decision-making, implementation and monitoring of most activities in their communities;
• To strengthen a network of information, knowledge and experience sharing;
• To promote the culture, values and rights of indigenous people;
• To provide social care, personal care and physical care to orphans, elderly, disable, and pregnant women in local communities;
• To promote sustainable forest management for poverty alleviation and local development.

Reference: 27/02 Op zoek naar een grotere impact in Afrika: ondernemen in plaats van geld opsturen

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