The British Council has launched a new programme to foster and strengthen universities’ support for innovation and entrepreneurship.
It said the programme, called ‘Innovation for African Universities’, would enable students, graduates to participate and provide meaningful contributions as key players in the entrepreneurship ecosystem in their respective countries.
According to a statement, the British Council’s IAU programme will bring together universities in Nigeria, across sub-Saharan Africa, universities in the UK and organisations supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Regional Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, British Council, Moses Anibaba, said, “By bringing together universities from across the UK and sub-Saharan Africa with organisations supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in the region, we can facilitate an exchange of learning, ideas, knowledge and connections to enable universities to become key champions for innovation and entrepreneurship.
“At the British Council, we recognise the key role universities can play in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Africa, helping enable African youth to become the job creators of tomorrow and drivers of economic development in the continent.”
The Chief Executive Officer, Co-Creation Hub, Nigeria, Bosun Tijani, said, “We have an appreciation that if we want to strengthen the ecosystem, we must find really exciting ways to get the academic institutions involved.
“A project of this nature allows us to connect the academic institutions with the private sector to find ways to address some of the significant problems in society while strengthening their understanding of how they can participate in innovation.”
The statement added that the successful 2021 IAU network partners would receive funding of up to £60,000 to deliver projects addressing entrepreneurship, youth employability, climate change and digital innovation.
– Punch