Africa needs technology to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This is the ideal advocated by the Institute for Research in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN). The Rabat-based institution in Morocco will train project leaders and employees of start-ups in West, North and Central Africa in "green technologies" for one year.
The programme, called Hubs GoGreentech (Hugg), will take place in Dakar, Senegal, in partnership with the German Agency for International Development Cooperation (GIZ). Learners will be trained in the design and use of digital solutions, particularly for sustainable urban waste management, eco-construction development and energy efficiency.
“This initiative is aimed at incubators, accelerators and innovation hubs wishing to develop expertise and a network in the digital sector. Thanks to a tailor-made bootcamp and follow-up activities, the Senegalese hubs will have access to tools, resources, an operating guide and support to develop their strategy in favour of the ecological transition”, explains Sarah Diouri, Director of Research and Development (R&D) at Iresen.
Digital technology for sustainable development
For Alex Gbetie, the coordinator of the “Make-IT in Africa” initiative at GIZ, the aim is to promote technological innovation in the strategies of young African companies so that their innovations are “linked to climate and greenhouse gas (GHG) issues”. The first cohort of the Hugg will be composed of a dozen platforms, including the Sèmè city development agency based in Cotonou, Benin, the Burkina Business Incubator, the Hadina Rimtic consulting firm in Mauritania, the ActivSpaces incubation programme based in Douala, Cameroon, and the Togolese initiative Energy Generation (Togo).
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Technological innovation is booming in sub-Saharan Africa. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for example, the “Ville lumière” project is in the making. The initiative of the organisation État de la diaspora africaine (SOAD) and the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Action communautaire pour le développement socio-économique (ACDS), aims to digitally transform the locality of Muanda in the province of Kongo-Central. This will eventually improve access to basic services (education, health, etc.) for at least 100,000 people thanks to the cloud and artificial intelligence (AI).
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
