i4Policy

🌟 Thank You for an Incredible 2024! 🌟 This year, we reached some amazing milestones together: conducting 10 workshops, participating in 16 conferences, engaging with over 1,200 people live to introduce participatory policymaking, achieving a total of 32,800+ engagements across our platforms, helping more than 450 learners complete our MOOC courses since the platform began, and expanding our reach to over 49 countries worldwide. These achievements wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support, collaboration, and shared vision of our community. As we look back on 2024, we want to say a big thank you for trusting us and working with us to build a more inclusive and innovative future. Next year, we’re excited to continue empowering citizens by enhancing the Citizen Engagement Platform (CEP). We’ll also be launching a new initiative focused on exploring innovative solutions and fresh perspectives. Stay tuned for updates—big things ahead! Here’s to another year of working together and making a difference!! 🌍✨

💭 BLOG ALERT | Following on from our MOU announcement with Utrecht University, here are some of our reflections after co-hosting the successful hybrid workshop on African Entrepreneurial Ecosystems with Utrecht University, Allan Gray Centre for Africa Entrepreneurship and The American University in Cairo on 28th November. Some key highlights include the sharing of new models of entrepreneurship such as the Okabi model based on the Nigerian traditions of collective prosperity. Showcasing of key resources for policymakers such as the African Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Index and much more… Read about the outcomes here: https://lnkd.in/d5a4kq4S Phumlani Nkontwana Erik Stam Tim Gelissen Milou Derks Ayman Ismail Kenneth Amaeshi

🤝 MOU signed | Utrecht University and i4Policy Sign Memorandum of Understanding to advance African Entrepreneurial Ecosystems! Reaffirming our dedication to amplify 📢 collective impact, we have forged a number of key partnerships to deepen our work in developing a data and dialogue-driven approach to understanding and advancing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Africa. A great example of this is the MoU with Utrecht University. Key joint initiatives include the African Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Index (visit: https://lnkd.in/dZ_kDd9G), which provides insights into entrepreneurial conditions in 27 African 🌍 countries, joint workshops (read our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/d5a4kq4S) and joint educational resources (visit our Learn resources here: https://lnkd.in/eH6z6MY2)... We are always open to partnering with leading organizations in this field to bridge expertise in policy-making, research, data and participatory processes. Feel free to reach out to us on community@i4policy.org if you feel a partnership would add value to your work. ↗️ Read more about our partnership with Utrecht University here: https://lnkd.in/ddkXFspV Erik Stam Utrecht University Centre for Global Challenges (UGlobe)

𝗨𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹: Key Takeaways from a Transformative Workshop I recently had the honor of attending a remarkable workshop on 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮, co-hosted by Utrecht University and Stellenbosch University. The session, facilitated by Prof. Erik Stam, provided a comprehensive exploration of Africa's entrepreneurial landscape, shedding light on unique challenges, opportunities, and pathways for fostering sustainable growth. Key highlights included: 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘅 Presented by Phumlani Nkontwana, Collaborators: Erik Stam, Robert McDonald, Rafiki Murenzi, Kwabena Aboah Addo, and Blaise B. Bayuo . Discussant: Ismaeel Tharwat 𝟮. 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀: 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 Presented by Christina Bidmon and Milou Derks. Discussant: Tim Gelissen (Innovation for Policy Foundation). 𝟯. 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 Presented by Robert McDonald, Collaborators: Emmanuel Buadi Mensah, and Erik Stam. Discussant: Sherwat Elwan Ibrahim 𝟰. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗔 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗔 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻𝘀, 𝗦𝗼𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 Presented by Ayman Ismail and Sherif Kamel. Discussant: Erik Stam. 𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗞𝗢𝗕𝗜 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹: 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 Presented by Kenneth Amaeshi. Discussant: Milou Derks. This engaging workshop delved into actionable strategies to strengthen #entrepreneurial #ecosystems, emphasizing the need for tailored policies and training frameworks that address Africa’s diverse socio-economic contexts. A huge thank you to the incredible speakers and contributors for their valuable insights. Their contributions have inspired actionable ideas to nurture innovation and collaboration across the continent. The American University in Cairo #EntrepreneurialEcosystems #Entrepreneurship #Africa #Innovation #EcosystemBuilding #Sustainability

'How can the conditions for #entrepreneurship, #business creation and especially growth, be improved in #Africa?' Am attending a really interesting event titled "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Africa" where various leading research papers and findings are being presented/shared. This is a topic that is very close to my heart as - unless you have been living under a LinkedIn rock - by now you probably know we run the online entrepreneurship academies for over 451 cities and communities in 27 countries (here's a map of where we operate though I do need to update it as it is over a year old -  https://lnkd.in/dQpjD_qE). Through our work with all the cities we learned a lot about what people are doing, seeking and trying to learn (there's some fascinating data analysis that was done by the phenomenal actuarial team at Virtual Actuary led by CEO Adi Kaimowitz (if you are interested let me know... I should practice what I preach and share more as well about our insights). There are a few things I wish to comment on/dispel myths: - The hunger to start and grow SMEs on the continent is at an all time high. - The barriers to entrepreneurial education are way too high (this is what we are addressing since a few years) and out of reach for the majority of the population. - Too much focus and resources on creating investeable businesses (ie. with a ROI high enough to attract private capital) and not enough on creating profitable businesses (this means most support structures benefit the few). - People have the energy, intellect and desire to invest in their growth (education, networking, learning, experimenting) but often are stuck in terms of initial guidance (which is what we are good at and why we work in excellent symbiosis with many universities and TVET colleges). - Job creation in Africa is NOT created by governments or large corporations. It is created by SMEs yet SMEs have little or no influence on policy and bureaucracy that directly impacts them (compliance costs for an SME are prohibilively and nonsensically high across the business lifecycle spectrum). - Too much training too soon puts many entrepreneurs off. Thank you to Institutions for Open Societies (Utrecht University), Stellenbosch University, Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, KCC - American University in Cairo and Innovation for Policy Foundation for supporting and thus enabling such an interesting format. The more all the stakeholders learn to share their insights and findings the more we can grow faster. Below is a list of some of the presenters/researchers. Sharing in case you're interested in the topic and want to follow interesting individuals doing a lot of research about the topic: Kenneth Amaeshi Milou Derks Erik Stam Ayman Ismail Sherwat Elwan Ibrahim Tim Gelissen Christina Bidmon Ismaeel Tharwat Phumlani Nkontwana Robert McDonald Rafiki Murenzi Deo-Gratias Abayomi

💭 BLOG | From Policy to Practice: The Challenges of Implementing Startup Acts in Francophone Africa 🌍 When speaking of Startup Acts ⚖️ , it is fair to say that francophone Africa has been a trailblazer with countries like Tunisia 🇹🇳 (2018) and Senegal 🇸🇳 (2019) leading the way. More recently, the Democratic Republic of Congo 🇨🇩 (2022), Togo 🇹🇬 (2022), Côte d’Ivoire 🇨🇮 (2022), Benin 🇧🇯 (2023), and Mauritania 🇲🇷 (2024) have followed suit, adopting their own Startup Acts or Labels... Read more in our latest ecosystem blog: https://lnkd.in/deGKkmCe

🌟 Build the future of innovation ecosystems—one policy course at a time! 💸 Our FREE online courses give you the tools to create impactful policies. ⏲ Only 2 hours per micro course; 🌍 African case studies designed by policy experts; 🎓 Verifiable certification awarded after each course! With the flexibility to learn at your own pace for busy professionals, it’s never been easier to level up your skills and enhance your policy career. 💫 Now featuring a brand-new 6th course: The Entrepreneurship Policy Process—perfect for those passionate about empowering entrepreneurs on the continent (or globally). Don’t wait—start today! 👉 https://lnkd.in/eH6z6MY2 This course is supported by the African European Digital Innovation Bridge (AEDIB). AEDIB is a transformative initiative bridging the digital gap between Africa and Europe. Through strategic partnerships, capacity-building programs, and networking opportunities, AEDIB facilitates the exchange of ideas and expertise, empowering entrepreneurs, startups, and policymakers to harness the power of digital innovation for sustainable development. #InnovationPolicy #FreeLearning #EcosystemBuilding

WORKSHOP 28 NOV | Register to join our hybrid workshop on Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Africa. You can join in-person if you are in Utrecht, Netherlands or via online (a link will be emailed to you). Simply register your attendance via this link: https://lnkd.in/dmp4EZ65 The event is hosted by Institutions for Open Societies (Utrecht University) (Platform Bottom-up Initiatives) in collaboration with i4Policy, Allan Gray Centre for Africa Entrepreneurship (Stellenbosch University) and American University in Cairo - School of Business. Artwork by kam marius Images 1: Workshop overview. Image 2: Workshop Agenda with speakers and topics. Erik Stam Phumlani Nkontwana Tim Gelissen Maeva Kpadonou Belinda Baah Lincoln Kibethi Njogu kam marius Ismaeel Tharwat Milou Derks Sherwat Elwan Ibrahim Emmanuel Mensah Blaise B. Bayuo Rafiki Murenzi Kwabena Aboah Addo Robert McDonald Christina Bidmon Sherif Kamal

📝 BLOG | Inside the Uganda Startup Policy Journey The journey 👣 toward establishing a robust Startup Policy in Uganda 🇺🇬 has been marked by collaboration 🤝 , research 🔍 , and a commitment to empowering 💪 local entrepreneurs. We spoke with two key leaders in the Uganda Startup Ecosystem, Okettayot Vincent Okema-MBA and Keneth Twesigye, to gain insights into this significant policy development 🚧 . Both of these leaders have participated in the i4Policy’s Entrepreneurship Policy Learning series (available for ✨ free here: https://lnkd.in/eSQUTva4 ✨ ), which they credit as crucial in shaping their policy work. Explore more resources on our collaborative platform, ecosystem.build and read the rest of the blog here: https://lnkd.in/dtEWRmup

5 years of impact 🎯 and a new chapter for the future 🙌 ! This month we celebrate 🎉 several significant milestones - it will be 5 years since i4Policy’s formal incorporation in 2019, and we also enter a new era ✨ of governance for the Foundation...    Our founding Managing Director, Jon Stever, is stepping out of the day-to-day operations to focus on his board chair role and on some personal writing and artistic projects. At the same time, we welcome new leadership of the Foundation in Co-Directors: Tim Gelissen, Belinda Baah and Mike Perry.   To mark this occasion, we wanted to reflect and share our significant growth over the years, so journey with us as we take a look at our founding story "From a #Hashtag to a Foundation - i4Policy's Story" below: https://bit.ly/3AsHyvc #cocreatingthefuture #milestone #5yearsofimpact