This document summarizes discussions with staff from technology innovation hubs in 7 Sub-Saharan African countries. It explores how the hubs address sustainability, programming, private sector/civil society engagement, impact measurement, and provides advice for funders. Key points include: hubs generate revenue through membership fees, events, consultancy and grants; building relationships with stakeholders takes time but is worthwhile; impact involves supporting innovators' skills and connecting diverse teams; funders could best support hubs through core funding and more communication/collaboration.

1. CAPTURING
LEARNING FROM
TECH INNOVATION
HUBS ACROSS
AFRICA
This report summarises discussions with staff from technology innovation
hubs across seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It explores
sustainability, programming, working with the private sector and civil
society, impact and advice for funders.
The Indigo Trust,
Loren Treisman,
PhD

2. Contents
Executive Summary................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction............................................................................................................................. 2
Sustainability............................................................................................................................ 4
Generating Revenue.............................................................................................................. 4
Engaging the Private Sector ...................................................................................................5
Demonstrating Value............................................................................................................. 6
Tackling Social Challenges .........................................................................................................7
Focusing on the challenge first............................................................................................... 7
Hackathons........................................................................................................................... 7
Engaging Civil Society ............................................................................................................ 8
Impact Measurement................................................................................................................ 9
Community Development and Support .................................................................................... 10
Skills Development.............................................................................................................. 10
Bringing the right skill sets together ..................................................................................... 11
Recognising Progress........................................................................................................... 11
Advice for Funders.................................................................................................................. 11
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. 12
Call Participants and Contributors............................................................................................ 13

3. Executive Summary
Technologyinnovationhubshave beenrecognisedfortheirpotential tosparkinnovation,stimulate
economicgrowthandtackle societal challengesinnovelways. However,muchof the hype hasbeen
temperedandmany hubsare strugglingtobecome financiallysustainable,attracta diverse groupof
stakeholdersandsupportentrepreneurstocreate viable businessesorimpactful social projects.
We askedhubstaff across Sub-SaharanAfricatoprovide anoverview of how theyare addressing
some of these challenges.
On income generation,hubsare startingto bringin money throughconsultancy,membershipfees,
deskor space hire,training,eventsandgrants.
Buildingrelationshipswithstakeholderslike the private sectorandcivil society cantake time butis
worthwhile. Hubstaff shouldlistentotheirpartners. Theymustidentifytheirspecificneedsandbe
readyto addressthem. Corporate partnersseekaviable businesspropositionwhile civil society
groupswant to see thatcommunitymemberscanhelpthemcreate impactmore efficientlyand
effectively. It’sworthengagingpartnersearlyon andtakingthemthrough the whole projectcycle.
Similarly, developersmustconstantlyengage withthe end-usersof anyproductbeingdeveloped
froman earlystage.
Supportingandnurturinginnovatorsinvolves buildingbothhard andsoftskillsandprovidingthem
withon-goingtraining,supportandmentorship. Structuredsupportprogrammeswithcleartargets
workbest. There isa need tomatch-make communitymemberstoformdiverse teams thatcan
developviable products.
Funderscouldbestsupporthubsthroughcore fundingandsimplifiedapplications,leavinghub
managersfree torespondto on-the-groundneeds.Hubswould alsolikemore communicationwith
funders,sothattheycan betterunderstandtheirexpectations. Theywantmore collaborationwith
fundersandwouldappreciate beingintroducedtorelevantorganisationswithintheirnetworks.
Theywouldalsolike funderstosupportcollaborationbetweenhubsandvisithubsmore regularlyso
that theyhave a greaterunderstandingof the realitiesonthe ground.
Introduction
In recentyears,technologyinnovationhubshave sprungupacrossAfricato supportlocal innovation
(http://www.africahubs.webgathering.net/).Theyprovideaspiringentrepreneurswithaccessto
state-of-the-artfacilities,high-speedinternet,events,mentorshipandtraining.
TechnologyInnovationhubscome inall shapesandsizes. Theyofferawide range of servicesand
followdifferentbusinessmodels. The sheervarietyof hubmodelshassometimesconfusedmatters
and makesdefiningahuba trickybusiness. Whatall hubs have incommon,however, isanaimto
fosterinnovationthroughcollaboration. Bybuildinganopenanddiverse community,theystimulate
learning,skillssharing,problemsolvingandthe sharingof ideas. Thiscollaborative environment

4. aimsto stimulate the creationof solutionstosocial challenges,aswell asthe developmentof viable
businessesandproducts.
ResearchbyLidiaGryszkiewicz(LuxembourgInstituteof Science andTechnology) andNicolas
Friederici (OxfordUniveristy) hasidentifiedsome commoncharacteristicsof hubs:
 They embrace fluidityanddiversity throughcreationof a diverse communitywhichchanges
overtime
 Theyfocuson creating impact insocietyas opposedtoonlyachievingfinancial targets. This
can include theirimpactontheirowncommunity andindirectly,societyatlarge. Thisfocus
on impactstimulatescreativityandallowsthemtofocusonlong-term, ‘bigpicture’
solutions.
 They encourage serendipitythroughuse of an openlayoutand by bringingthe rightpeople
togetherthroughinformal andformal networkingopportunities
 They create a community of like-mindedpeoplewhoshare acommonlifestyle
 They intensifycollaborative innovation throughco-locationandco-workingprinciples,
online sharinganduse of innovationanddesignprocesses
 They dynamise the innovationprocess byhostingfrequentevents,competitions, and
brainstormsand throughregularoutreachwhichhelpsputinnovatorsinthe spotlightand
createsenergyandmomentum
 They enable,rather than force, innovation by ensuringtheirmembers are self-determined
and supportedtotake theirowninitiative.
In summary, the secretof theirsuccessliesinthe collaborativeenvironmentandclose-knit
communitiestheycreate whichallowsserendipitytohappen.
Unsurprisingly,these spaceshave attractedattention.Manyrecognisedtheirpotential toreduce
unemployment, stimulate economicgrowth andtackle societal problems innovel ways.Tech
companiesandinvestorsflockedtothe spacesinthe hope of supportingthe creationof the next
Facebookor Amazon.
Much of the hype has since beentempered.Few are willingtoinvestatthe riskybutcrucial early
stagesand manyseemedsurprisedwhenhubsdidn’tdeliverontheirexpectationstoachieve
financial sustainabilityintheirfirstfewyears. Manydonorsandinvestorsare interestedin
supportingthe start-upscomingoutof hubs,but few are willingtoinvestinthe core costs of hubsor
inbuildingthe technologyecosystemrequiredfor profitablebusinessesorsocial change solutions to
be devisedlocally.
But couldit be that our expectationsare unrealistic?Afterall,95% of small businessesfail intheir
firstfive yearsglobally(http://smallbiztrends.com/2013/03/infographic-failed-small-
businesses.html),manyinmore favourableenvironments.
It’seasyto forgetthat inmost countriesinAfrica,the technologyecosystemisstill initsinfancy.
Kenyaisaheadof the pack, beinghailedthe SiliconSavannah. Butincountrieslike Liberiathere’s
hardlyany formalisedICTtraining,letalone athrivingcommunity.

5. For these ecosystemstoflourishthere’saneedtobuildbothhardtech skillsandsofterbusiness
skills. Regulatoryframeworksare ofteninhibitive andsilosmustbe brokendownsothatdevelopers,
designers,sectorexpertsandbusinessexpertscancome togethertosolve real societal problemsin
sectorslike health,educationandagriculture.
Highdata costs, language andliteracybarriersanda lack of simple paymentmechanismsprovide
barriersto marketpenetration.Unreliable andcostlyelectricityandtransport,slow internetand
cumbersome bureaucracyall increase the costof doingbusiness.It’shardtokeepbudding
entrepreneursonboardwith noimmediate incomeandthere’salackof awarenessabout
technology’sfar-reachingbenefits.Civil societygroupsandconsumersoftenneedtobe supported
to utilise themeffectively.
We couldbe fooledintothinkingthe situationishopeless. Butthe ICT sectorshowsdizzying
potential inAfrica.Investmentinitsparkseconomicgrowth.InNigeria,italreadycontributesalmost
10% of GDP (http://www.pcworld.com/article/2860252/tech-telecom-contribute-10-percent-of-
nigerias-gdp-ict-minister-says.html).
In Sub-SaharanAfrica,more thantwothirdsof people have mobilephonesandit’sarapidlygrowing
market(http://www.gallup.com/poll/168797/africa-continues-going-mobile.aspx).Thisprovidesan
opportunityforpeople toaccess,share andcreate informationata lowercost,fasterspeedand
greaterscale than everbefore.
Perhapswe needtotake a more patientapproach?
At IndigoTrust,we spoke tosome of the managers, boardmembersandstaff of hubsacross Sub-
Saharan Africato understandhowtheyaddresssustainability,tackle social challengesandengage
withstakeholders. We alsodiscussedtheirkeychallenges,sharedproposedsolutionsandaskedfor
advice to funders.
Sustainability
GeneratingRevenue
Hub sustainabilityremainsachallenge andall hubsstill relyondonorfunding tosome extent.We
exploredsome of the waysinwhichhubsare generatingtheirownrevenue.
 Some hubshire theirspacesoutfor eventshostedbythe private sector,donorsandcivil
society. Boardroomsand desksspacescan alsobe made available. Advertisingsuchservices
on social mediacan attract business.
 Most hubshave tieredmembershipstructures where membersare chargedtoaccess some
services e.g.representingthe hubasa consultant,permanentdeskspace, some training
packagesetc. There are higherchargesforcorporate sponsors. Price structuresshouldbe
flexible toensure inclusivity.

6.  Hubs charge for some eventsandtraining. Theyalsoruneventsonbehalf of others. For
example,BongoHive inLusaka,Zambiachargesorganisations torunhackathonsand
bootcamps forthem.They alsorun social mediacampaigns fororganisations.
 Some hubsprovide consultancyservices. They oftenpaymemberstodeliverthe workand
take a percentage. Insome hubscommunitymembersare offeredtraininginareas like
projectmanagementandcommunication tohelpthemfulfil thisrole. Servicesoffered
include webdesign,appcreation andthe buildingof internaltechnologyplatforms. Co-
CreationHubis undertakinginnovationclustermappingforLagosState Department. In
Kampala,Uganda, Hive Colabwritesproposalsto companies abouthow technologycould
improve theirbusinessesandworkswiththe communitytodeliveronthese.
 Some hubslike BongoHive are applyingforlarge multi-yeargrants. Theyputtogethera
teamfrom theirmembersandmanage implementationanddonorrelations. Itisnecessary
for a hubto developaclearstrategicvisionandgoalsbefore takingon processeslikethese.
 Thinkof creative programmingwhichengagesawidercommunitywhilegenerating income.
Jozihub inJohannesburg,SouthAfricahas partnered with the biggest youth radio station in
the country to run programmes around what they are doing to support young people and
inspire them to start their own businesses. The partnership includes a sponsorship
component which generates income while stimulating public discussions relevant to their
community.
Engaging thePrivateSector
Innovation spaces often struggle to attract funding and support from larger donors and
corporations,butthisiscrucial to supporttheiroperations,especially at the early stages. It can also
be hard to gain local ownership. It can be challenging to identify local partners and to engage with
government as well as to generate sufficient income locally.
If corporationsdo engage,theyare rarely willing to support core costs, instead focusing on specific
programmes. Many hubs have found it helpful to establish partnerships with the private sector-to
host events and training in their spaces or to support programmes targeting specific issues or
groups, such as digital jobs or women entrepreneurs.
Call participants shared tips on how they work with the private sector:
 Buildingrelationshipstakestime butit’sworthwhile. Kwesi Eyisonfrom iSpace inAccra,
Ghana spenttwoyearsshowcasingwhattheydoand demonstratinghow theyaddvalue to
local techcompaniesandinternational companies.It’sbeenworthwhile,as companies are
nowcontactingthemto suggestcollaborations. They’vemanaged tosecure free internet,
contributionstoeventsandfundingforstart-upsinthisway.
 It's worthhavinga staff memberwhodedicatestheirtime tobuildingstakeholder
relationships.Itcantake time to buildrelationshipsandashubsare a relativelynew

7. concept. Staff needtothinkcreativelyabouthow todemonstrate theirbenefittoother
organisationsandsocietyatlarge.
 It can be helpfultoapproach the private sectorwitha businessproposition. Internet service
providers may provide free services if approached from a marketing perspective. Co-
Creation Hub found mobile operators more amenable when they discussed the
developmentof locallyrelevant content and JoziHub engaged them by demonstrating how
products developedatthe hub wouldhelp mobileoperators to increase their market share.
 The private sector can provide additional income and support through hosting events in
hubs, gaining opportunities to engage with entrepreneurs or through running training
courses.Workingwiththemrequirestime andresourcessoensure thatthe servicestheyare
providingalignwithyourobjectivesandserve the community oryoumay be detracted from
your key objectives.
 Companies are often willing to offer gifts in kind and can also offer access to trainers and
mentors.Hive Colabhaspersuadedthe corporate social responsibilitydepartments of some
companies to provide support and workshops to their community for 4 hours each month.
 Be sure you know what a company is interested in before you approach them. Some are
interested in supporting tech communities through training on use of their tools or
platforms, to provide leadership development or by hosting events in a hub. Others are
interested in offering specific programming while some want access to your start-up
community.
 Companies liketoconnectwitha new ideawhichisrelevanttotheirbusiness. Tryandmatch
businesses torelevantprojectsor start-ups. JoziHub had success when they introduced the
SA Automobile Associationtoteams developing motoring applications at the early stage of
development. Engaging partners early in the process can help give them a sense of
ownership.
 Speak corporate language. Demonstrate a business model and clear objectives and offer
training for their staff. As well as offering them applications, think about closed platforms
you could offer for a company’s internal use. For example, an entrepreneur at JoziHub
developed a parking facilitation application for companies which operate boom systems.
Once theysee yourvalue, itcan be easiertointroduce themtootherservicesofferedby the
hub.
 Showcase your start-ups. Lukonga from Bongo Hive found that the private sector engaged
more when they began speaking about their start-up programme. They were often
interested in specific projects.
DemonstratingValue
Locally, many still don’t understand the hub concept and are reluctant to engage. It’s worth
investing energy in building public awareness and demonstrating value to various target groups.
Thiswill require outreachactivitiesand one to one relationship building. The hubs shared some of
their most successful interventions which included:

8.  Conducting outreach at Universities, Schools and in local communities
 Hosting events which attract a diverse group of stakeholders including private sector
companieslike mobile network providers and internet service providers, tech outfits, civil
society staff, schoolchildren and government staff
 Holding monthly meetings with stakeholders
 Many hubs find one-to-one meetings are crucial to enable partners to really understand
their work and to stimulate real collaboration with the private sector, NGOs and other
partners
Tackling Social Challenges
It isrecognisedthata more diverse groupof playersneedstobe attractedto tech hubs if they are to
address social challenges in sectors like health, education, agriculture, transparency and
accountability. There’salsoalsooftentoomuchfocuson the technologyratherthan the solution to
a challenge, particularly in the mobile space, where there is a lot of hype.
Technologists must communicate with government officials, activists, civil society organisations,
corporations and other stakeholders and really understand some of the challenges which they
needing to address.
We wanted to get a sense of how some of the hubs were supporting their community to tackle
social challenges.
Focusingonthe challengefirst
In orderto tackle social challenges,mosthubsbringexpertstogethertoidentifychallengesina
specificsector. Theyrecognise thattechnologyfirstsolutionsare lesssuccessful.
Bongo Hive is trying to encourage entrepreneurs to focus on a specific challenge. They then help
themdevelopaviable businesssolution. Itisonlyat that pointthat theyexplore technology’srole in
that solution.Theyare evenconsideringremovingthe word ‘technology’ from their name to attract
a more diverse community.
Hackathons
Many hubs run hackathons such as iSpace’s ‘Hackforgood’. These bring stakeholders together to
addressa particularissue. Asanexample,ahealthhackathon would bring together health workers,
entrepreneurs, NGOs working in health, techies and, where possible, government stakeholders.
Togetherthe teamsdiscusschallengesinthe sectoranddevise innovative solutions. The best teams
are supported with prize money and sometimes mentorship to bring their ideas to fruition.
Hackathons have been widely criticised as teams often fail to turn their ideas into viable products
and interventions. Many cite that the winning ideas from hackathons often struggle to access
funding to continue developing their ideas following the initial prize money. It can also be a
challenge to keep teams working together, particularly when there’s a lack of resources.

9. Oftena well thought out follow-upprogramme is neededfor these interventions to be successful.
Bongo Hive has introduced hackathons where prize money is given in instalments, with the final
instalment paid upon project completion. This encourages teams to continue their work after the
initial event. Co-CreationHub’sTechChallenges,meanwhile, are followedupwith mentorship and a
strong pre-incubation programme. Funding is released as and when the team delivers against its
milestones.
Women are also under represented and need to be encouraged to participate.
EngagingCivil Society
Many innovationspaceshave struggledtoreallyengage withcivil society. Itisa processthattakes
time andongoingcommitment. Barriersinclude:
 Civil societyoftendoesn’tunderstandsocialinnovationandworksinmore traditional ways
 Civil societycanstruggle tounderstandhow technologycanhelp toaddresssocietal
challenges
 Civil society organisations are oftenunderstaffedandunderresourced
 Technologistsandsocial change activistsoftenspeakverydifferent‘languages’andthink
aboutsolvingproblemsinverydifferentways
 Technologistsoftensuggesttechnical solutionstocivil societyratherthanunderstanding
theirchallengesandneeds
 Many aspiringentrepreneursstill needanincome. There canbe inadequate fundingto
supportsocial venturesandmanytechnologistsare more interestedinbuildingproducts
more likelytogenerate revenue.
Hubs have suggestedsome of the followingsolutions:
 Engage civil societythroughhostingeventsthatare directlyrelatedtothe issues thatthey
tackle. Outreachandpromotionwill be neededasmanyof these groupsare unaware of the
worktakingplace in hubs. Presentateventswhichare sociallyfocusedand attracta wider
audience thanjusttechiesandengage insocial mediaaroundthese.
 Nothingsubstitutesbuildingstrongrelationshipswithindividual organisations. Hub
managerscan helpto buildthese relationships throughface-to-face meetingswithsenior
civil societystaff.Thisprocessdoestake time andon-goingengagement. Hubscanthen
introduce themtotechnologists whocanhelpthemdevise solutionstothe challengesthey
face. Initially,hubsmaywishtohave a role in managingthese projectsandrelationships.
 Civil societygroupsneedtobe engagedrightfromthe beginningof aprocess. Theyneedto
be able to fullyarticulate the challengestheyare facingandworkwithtechnologiststo
developsolutions. Theyneedtosee thattechnologycanhelpthemundertake theirwork
more efficientlyandeffectively.

10.  Technologistsneedtoworkwithcivil societytoengage directlywithenduserse.g.farmers,
school childrenetc. Theyneedtoworkwiththemat all stagesof the projectcycle and
constantlyadapttheirproductsaccordingto theirrequirements.
 ActivSpaces inCameroon believes inbuildingsustainable businessesthattackle social
challengesratherthancharitable projects. If social organisationshave aviable business
model,the projectscanbe sustainedand the teamsworkingonthemcan continue
operationswhenfundingrunsout.
 Fundersneedtobe more willingtoprovide smallgrantstohigh-risksolutionssothat
entrepreneursare able toexperimentwithideasinthe social space. There isalsoaneedto
identifyfunderswillingtogive medium-sizedgrants(£20,000-£250,000) to projectswhich
begintoshowpromise. Itis alsonecessarytoaccessfundingforscaling.
 Teams working on social projects need to be supported with a wider skill set. They often
needsupportwithbusinessskills, legal advice, marketing and working with civil society, as
well as technical support. Jozihub’s Citizen Lab is an example of a programme providing
these skill sets to aspiring entrepreneurs.
 Sometimesasocial componentcanbe builtinto commercial businesses. Jozihub is working
with commercial start-ups to help them build social elements in to their work. The private
sector can also be engaged in this process.
 Developplatformswhichsocial organisationscanadaptto theirneeds. Anexample of this is
Jozihub’s creation of Vumi which can be adapted to fulfil an organisation’s different
technology needs across multiple platforms.
 Engage in wider initiatives which encourage social innovation. Bongo Hive has partnered
withthe US EmbassyandUNICEF to run a Social Entrepreneurship Boot Camp. The partners
helped topromote these eventsthroughtheirlarge networks,whichenabled Bongo Hive to
get new people on board.
 As a condition of membership, iSpace requires its members to spend 20% of their time
working on social projects. This can be developing products which tackle a social issue or
helping in some of their social interventions such as after school programmes.
Impact Measurement
Measuringimpactcan be a real challenge forinnovationhubs,asalot of the worktheydo including
communitybuilding,trainingandmentorshipandbuildingkeypartnershipscanbe difficultto
measure.
Impact needstobe thoughtaboutin differentwaysandalsoneedsto be developedinalignment
withthe community’sstage of development. Inplaceslike NamibiaandLiberia,wherethe
technologysectorisstill initsinfancy,emphasisshouldbe placedonskillsdevelopment, community
buildingandestablishingbeneficialpartnerships,while incitieslike LagosandNairobi,hubsare

11. alreadyevaluatingthe projectsandbusinesses theysupportandthe impacttheyare having. Please
referto the followingarticle forfurtherinsightintothisissue:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/loren-treisman/tech-innovation-in-africa_b_8071288.html
Hubs measure awhole range of things. They measure simpleoutputslike the numberof eventsor
trainingsessionsheld,the numberof memberstheyhave,the numberof people attendingtheir
space and a listof the start-ups/projectsthey’resupporting. Theyalsogainfeedbackfrom
participantsof trainingandevents,aswell asmonitoringtheirincome generationandthe
partnershipsthey’reestablishing.
Some hubsalsomeasure inclusion. Forexample,iSpace ismonitoringthe proportionof women
runningandattendingeventsandaimsfor60%. JoziHubmonitorsthe establishmentof local
partnerships.
Some hubsare buildingspecificKPIsforstart-ups. BongoHive andJoziHubdevelopquarterly
benchmarksforeachstart-uptheysupport. It can be hard to define these withdonorsinadvance,as
each businesshasunique indicators.
Community Development and Support
The hub staff identifiedseveral challengesaroundsupportingtheircommunityandshared
interventionsthey’re exploringtoaddressthem.
SkillsDevelopment
Developers sometimes lacksufficientskillstobuildviable products. There isashortage of softer
businessskills too. Itisoftendifficulttofind businessdevelopmentservicesand businessmentors
outside of the hubcommunity.
 Hubs should provide both soft and hard training skills to their community. This includes
software development training, support with business models, legal advice, copyright,
communications and marketing. Jozihub in Johannesburg, South Africa run a Code School
which provides services like this. iSpace in Accra, Ghana provides software development
training at different levels.
 Mentorshipprogrammescanalsohave significantimpact.Several hubsincludingCo-
CreationHubin Nigeria,BongoHive inZambiaandActivSpaces inCameroonemploy
permanentmentorstosupportaspiringentrepreneurs.Manyhubs,includingUganda’sHive
Colabhave securedin-kindmentorshipthroughthe private sectorandindividuals.

12.  The private sectormay outsource staff whocan offerbusinessdevelopmentservicesforfree
or at lowcost. Hive Colabstruggledtogainsupportfromthe private sectorinitially, but they
are now receiving pro bono services from some of their corporate partners.
Bringingtherightskill setstogether
Oftenentrepreneurshave greatideasbutlackthe teamsandtechnical skillstocreate viable
products. It can alsobe hardto source developersandalsotomatch developersof asufficient
standardwithvolunteers.
 Matchmakingeventsbetweenentrepreneurs,developers,civilsociety,designersandother
potential teammemberscanhelpestablishteamstodeliverona particularproduct.
 Interventionsare neededwhichbringdifferentstakeholderstogether aroundafocused
issue.Hackathonscanbe helpful butneedtobe followedbymentorship,fundingand
ongoingsupportforpromisingteamstostaytogetheranddevelopviable projects.
 The environment of these spaces can also facilitate collaboration. JoziH found that they
increased collaboration by encouraging their resident start-ups to chat and connect. They
alsoholdfrequenteventsaroundspecificissueswhich attract a diverse set of stakeholders.
Thisencouragescross pollination between the start-ups. Their Code School supported this
process through matching skill sets between different start-ups.
RecognisingProgress
In many societies, entrepreneurship isn’t widely understood or viewed as a viable career option.
Entrepreneurs cite a need to be recognised as their ideas progress. Hubs recommended the
following:
 Havingstructuredprogrammes,whichprovide certificationorothermethods of recognising
entrepreneurs’ achievements can be helpful. This can also be an attractive proposition to
the private sector companies.
 To keep entrepreneurs focused it can help to support them to generate income through
consultancy and other projects early on so that they can support themselves financially.
 Success stories must be showcased widely so that entrepreneurs have examples to follow
and so that society recognises the potential of entrepreneurship.
Advice for Funders
We askedthe hubmanagershowfunderscouldbestsupportthem andthisis whattheyhad to say:
 Funders could make applications simpler and less time consuming

13.  Core fundingandlessrestrictive funding can help allow hubs to best adapt to needs on the
ground
 Fundersshouldbe willing to fund ecosystem and community building rather than focusing
only on start-up creation
 Funders should visit hubs more regularly (and not just in countries with the biggest tech
communities) to see how hubs operate on a day-to-day basis and so they can better
understand the challenges they are facing.
 Hubs would like more communication and collaboration with funders. They’d like to have
more guidance at the start of a grant and more follow-up.
 Funderscan helpconnecthubstootherhubs as well ascivil society organisations and other
stakeholders who they can work with
 Hubs would like greater clarity on what funders hope to achieve
 There is often a disconnect between the expectations of funders and the reality on the
ground. It is important that funders understand what a hub is trying to achieve and that
indicators can be developed together to ensure that they are realistic and aligned with a
hub’s core objectives
 Funding for external consultants can be helpful
 Funders can help coordinate or support calls and workshops with other hubs. Sharing
lessons, challenges and solutions is extremely helpful.
Conclusion
Hubs have the potential tosupporttheircommunitiesuse technology totackle society’schallenges
innovel ways. To achieve thisaimwill take time. Hubsfirstneedtoestablishthemselvesas
financiallysustainable organisationsandbuildstrongcommunitieswhichare diverse,skilledand
collaborative. Theymustalsoestablishworkingrelationshipswithcorporatesandcivil societyto
achieve these aims. Patient,flexible fundingcansupportthisprocess.
Specificprogrammesandsupportpackagescanincrease the likelihoodof communitymembers
buildingviable businessesordevisingsolutionstosocial issues. A one size fitsall model isunlikelyto
emerge fromthisdiverse groupof players,buthubsare graduallyidentifyingprogrammesand
interventionswhichbestsupporttheircommunity. Itisour hope thatsome of these canbe adapted
and pilotedbythe communityatlarge.

14. Call Participants and Contributors
Barbara Birungi Hive Colab Kampala,Uganda
Tunji Eleso Co-CreationHub Lagos, Nigeria
JosiahKwesi Eyison iSpace Accra, Ghana
AsnathKambunga RLabs Namibia Windhoek,Namibia
LukongaLindunda BongoHive Lusaka,Zambia
SamanthaManclark Jozi Hub Johannesburg,SouthAfrica
Mike Murray BongoHive Lusaka,Zambia
LorenTreisman IndigoTrust London,UK
Ryan Yoder ActivSpaces Bueaand Douala,Cameroon