British Council announce Entrepreneurial AFRICA London Showcase
BRITISH COUNCIL ANNOUNCES DETAILS
OF ENTREPRENEURIAL AFRICA:
LONDON SHOWCASE
21 – 23 March 2016
British Council today announced details of Entrepreneurial Africa: London
Showcase, a three day programme that will bring together entrepreneurs from
Africa and the UK to examine the important role that skills and
entrepreneurship can play in socio-economic development. The programme
will culminate in a pitching session and panel discussion on innovative
approaches to supporting entrepreneurship in Africa on 23 March.
About Entrepreneurial Africa
Since 2013, the British Council has run a series of enterprise challenges across
Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Sudan. Broadcast on TV and online,
these initiatives have directly engaged 12,000 young entrepreneurs and reached a
further 20 million young people. Entrepreneurial Africa: London Showcase
provides an opportunity for young African entrepreneurs to connect with people in
the London start-up community and find potential partners to help scale up their
businesses.
The programme is the beginning of a cross continental collaboration designed to
increase collaboration between British and African entrepreneurs.
The panel discussion will include speakers from major corporations, start-ups,
investors and industry experts with strong business interest in Africa. The keynote
speech will be delivered by Chaney Ojinnaka, Founder and CEO of VendorMach.
The event is at Code Node by Skills Matter in Moorgate, London.
Young Entrepreneurs include:
Kenya: Zeph Kivungi, Fucore International Limited
Fucore International Limited offers tailor-made solutions for businesses around
energy and sustainability.
Nigeria: Eseoghene Odiete, Hesey Designs
Founded by young fashion designer Ese Odiete, Hesey Designs is an African-
inspired accessories label at the forefront of turning African fabrics into contemporary
fashion.
Nigeria: Nasir Yammama, Verdant
The Verdant app provides agricultural information, market intelligence and access to
finance for farmers in Nigeria from pre-planting, to harvest and distribution.
South Africa: Jason Van Den Berg and Mario Demetriou, DroneSnap
DroneSnap is an online platform that provides on-demand professional drone
operators for all forms of aerial imaging.
South Africa: Ridhwana Shaik, Save our Soles (SOS)
SOS merge traditional techniques and modern technology to create eco-friendly
footwear for children and adults.
Sudan: Hassan Maisson, Fandora
Fandora aims to conserve Sudanese culture and heritage by designing accessories
and furniture from local materials as well as recycled paper, plastic, glass and metal.
Sudan: Mutaz Salah, Tanolite
Tanolite is a lightweight brick used for fire and thermal insulation that is eco-friendly
and enables faster construction.
Sudan: Mustafa Shaib, Broken Cipher
Broken Cypher is a cybersecurity firm dedicated to helping clients through training
courses, information security services and consultation.
Mandy Johnson, Regional Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, British Council, said:
Entrepreneurial Africa: London Showcase opens up opportunities for collaboration
between individuals and institutions and ultimately opportunities for economic
growth. This delegation represents some of the most exciting start-ups working on
the continent today and they are meeting with their counterparts in the UK. By
encouraging entrepreneurship and promoting social enterprise the British Council is
providing career opportunities for young people and helping to unleash their
potential.”
Notes to editors
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and
educational opportunities. We create international opportunities for the people of the
UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.
We work in more than 100 countries and our 8,000 staff – including 2,000 teachers –
work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young
people every year by teaching English, sharing the arts and delivering education and
society programmes.
We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A core publicly-funded grant
provides 20 per cent of our turnover which last year was £864 million. The rest of our
revenues are earned from services which customers around the world pay for, such
as English classes and taking UK examinations, and also through education and
development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations.
All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and supports prosperity and
security for the UK and globally.
For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org.
You can also keep in touch with the British Council through
http://twitter.com/britishcouncil
You may contact sophie@oxygenstartups for further details and images.