Overview

Background

South Africa’s Department of Small Business Development, following President Ramaphosa’s commitment to grow the tech and small business sector, has set a target of establishing 100 incubation hubs across the country by 2024. The Department considers these centres a vehicle for promoting economic development and innovation, by stimulating the emergence of tech-based companies.

Contributing towards this goal, the UK-South Africa Tech Hub partnered with Viridian – a dynamic team that designs and delivers early-stage entrepreneur and investor programmes, research and strategy – to facilitate the growth of South Africa’s digital economy by providing targeted support for ESOs (Entrepreneur Support Organisations).

Programme

Launch League was created to develop open licence content for facilitators in ESOs. Three ESOs were then given funding to deliver bootcamps to idea-stage entrepreneurs, drawing on these training materials, with Viridian providing support and guidance during implementation. ESOs were recruited from across South Africa, outside of Cape Town and Johannesburg. Assessment criteria included having a tech focus, availability of physical space and capacity for training.

Two courses were created and continue to be readily available to ESOs: one focusing on programme management and the other on Launch League bootcamp facilitation. Facilitators can also access playbooks (designed as practical learning resources) and a library of free templates to support in the planning and implementation of programmes in their hubs.

During programme delivery, further need was identified to train facilitators in programme management and delivery of course content. Many ESO’s also expressed challenges with operating in isolation and wanted to be more connected to other organisations in the ecosystem.

In response, a second phase was launched – focusing on capacitating facilitators, better understanding the ESO landscape in South Africa, networking hub facilitators, and financially supporting ESOs to deliver Launch League bootcamps. The impact of Covid19 became apparent during this second phase, resulting in a pivot to virtual delivery which enabled a wider network of ESOs to be included.

Survey results highlighted additional needs and challenges faced by the ESOs. In response to both these results and the success of early output indicators, the UK-South Africa Tech Hub extended the project to include virtual meetups for ESOs to pose their questions to expert speakers on topics including investment readiness, communicating impact, and learning from international entrepreneurship hubs.

Tech Hub leadership

The Launch League forms part of the UK-South Africa Tech Hub’s portfolio of projects aiming to support, connect, grow and mature the South African digitaleconomy. The aim of the project is to build the capacity of South African ESOs, thereby contributing to greater digital inclusion and development, supporting business growth, employability for youth and women, and positive social impact.

Looking to the future

The UK-South Africa Tech Hub will continue to grow the Launch League programme, with future iterations focusing on:

• Expanding the current training offering to more facilitators

• Providing new training offerings on mentorship and funding

• Continuing to develop networks in the ecosystem and between the ESO’s

• Funding more ESO’s to run the Launch League boot camps for idea-stage entrepreneurs in their hubs

In order to create sustainability for the programme, this ‘train the trainer’ project focuses on capacitating multiple facilitators in each ESO to embed resource resilience on the content and programme delivery. The tools, templates, resources and boot camp training material is online, open-licensed and freely available to ESO’s to use and share in the ecosystem.

For more information

Read local media coverage of the partnership:

Bizcommunity: The biggest challenges facing South African tech hubs

Channel Africa [radio programme]: UK-South Africa Tech Hub has conducted research into the challenges and needs of tech-focused ESOs across South Africa

More about Launch League and the UK-South Africa Tech Hub

To learn more about Launch League and the UK-South Africa Tech Hub please contact: uksatechhub@fcdo.gov.uk.

The UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) is building a global network of Tech Hubs. The International Tech Hub Network aims to forge innovation partnerships between the UK and international tech sectors, stimulate local digital economies; and build high-end digital skills to drive sustainable jobs and growth.

Contact the network at: international-tech-hub-network@dcms.gov.uk

Part of DCMS’ International Tech Hub Network.

Overview

Background

COVID-19 has accelerated the need for SMEs to digitise their business models, however many do not know how to start. Young Kenyans are technically able to support this shift, having gained skills through formal education or being self-taught, but lack the necessary work experience.

The UK-Kenya Tech Hub partnered with EldoHub – a local tech innovation company – and Thunderbird School of Global Management to launch the Digital Apprenticeship Programme. It was designed to provide junior tech professionals (JTPs) with practical work experience and training, whilst demonstrating to businesses the importance of digitisation and subsequent need to hire tech talent.

Programme

The Digital Apprenticeship Programme placed 40 JTPs in host businesses for 3 month placements, during which they worked on specific digital projects identified by the businesses. Participants received one-to-one mentoring from experienced professionals in the tech industry, alongside soft skills training on communication and leadership.

543 applications were received from across 40 of the 47 counties in Kenya, with 137 of these from women. 89 businesses expressed interest, with identified digital projects including app development and digital marketing amongst others. Following online tests, assessments and interviews, the top 40 applicants were selected to participate. The main digital skills that businesses were looking for were software development, digital marketing, and data analysis.

At the conclusion of the pilot programme, 50% of JTPs had secured further employment – either permanently hired by their host business, securing work elsewhere, or starting consultancy work and/or their own business.

We are excited to be a part of this multi-stakeholder collaboration that makes available talent and skills of the future that are necessary for companies to build forward stronger beyond COVID-19. The Pandemic has accelerated the digital revolution which makes this initiative a timely intervention to ensure businesses recover faster and remain relevant, while offering real experience to the Junior Tech Professionals

Philip Thigo, Director for Africa at Thunderbird School of Global Management

Tech Hub leadership

The UK-Kenya Tech Hub, together with FCDO Africa Technology and Innovation Partnership (ATIP), provided funding and technical advisory support to the consortium, and stipends for the JTPs.

Through this partnership, the Hub is addressing both supply and demand issues surrounding digital skills and entrepreneurship. Specific digital projects based on business need were identified at the outset, allowing a tailored JTP match. Each JTP gained real business experience and a completed project to add to their portfolio, and each business solved a critical issue, resulting in increased revenues, decreased costs, or improved efficiencies. As many SMEs do not have the necessary resources to mentor junior employees, this programme also meets that need by matching each participant with a corporate mentor &’tech buddy&’ alongside soft skills training.

Looking to the future

Kenya has a rapidly growing youth population (75% of Kenyans under 35) who need decent employment, and businesses are feeling the impact of COVID-19 and needing to digitise – creating opportunities for win-win initiatives for business and talent. Innovative approaches addressing both issues, such as the Digital Apprenticeship Programme, must continue to be piloted, implemented and scaled.

For more information

Read local media coverage of the partnership:

Capital Business: How Eldohub Is Transforming Kenya&’s Tech Space

Local media reports on the graduating cohort:

More about the Digital Apprenticeship Programme and the UK-Kenya Tech Hub

To learn more about the Digital Apprenticeship Programme please visit the website. To learn more about the UK-Kenya Tech Hub please contact:UKKenya.TechHub@fco.gov.uk.

The UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) is building a global network of Tech Hubs. The International Tech Hub Network aims to forge innovation partnerships between the UK and international tech sectors, stimulate local digital economies; and build high-end digital skills to drive sustainable jobs and growth.

Contact the network at: international-tech-hub-network@dcms.gov.uk

Part of DCMS’ International Tech Hub Network.

Overview

Background

Women have played a prominent role in the digital era, as evidenced by the growing number of female entrepreneurs in the past 3 years. According to IWAPI (Ikatan Wanita Pengusaha – Indonesia’s premier association of women’s enterprises), in 2015, women represented 60% of the total 49.9m entrepreneurs in Indonesia – that number continues to grow by 20% annually.

The impact of COVID-19 on the global economy has necessitated increased entrepreneurship, with many women launching home-based businesses. However, the difficult economic climate and social distancing restrictions have had a negative impact on sales. Technology skills are therefore entrepreneurs’ best tool to develop their business to survive and thrive in these uncertain times.

Programme

The UK-Indonesia Tech Hub – in collaboration with Krealogi by Du Anyam, and the Indonesian Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection – launched the HERFuture programme, designed to provide digital literacy and entrepreneurship training to support ultra-micro and micro female owned businesses. The programme also served as COVID-19 crisis response support for women and under-represented groups, who were heavily affected by the pandemic.

102 participants were selected from 370 applicants, to participate in the training programme which was delivered November 2020 – February 2021, including launch and graduation events. 56 women were kept on a reserve list to allow for any dropouts, all of whom were ultimately fully included in the training programme to ensure as many marginalised women as possible to be empowered, taking the full number to 158. Training was delivered virtually, with the support of local facilitators in the 6 targeted districts of Indonesia.

HERFuture consisted of 8 training modules which addressed supply chain, digital literacy, digital marketing, the use of apps, market access (in partnership with local marketplace giant Shopee), and financial literacy (in partnership with BTPN Syariah Bank) amongst other topics.

The pilot programme embedded knowledge of sustainability in business and provided personal digital upskilling, supporting female entrepreneurs in the target markets to enhance their livelihoods.

I found this training very useful – it has made bookkeeping and everything related to finance and production planning much easier. We also got the chance to expand our network by meeting other home industry entrepreneurs from different cities.

Tech Hub leadership

The UK-Indonesia Tech Hub provided full bursaries for all HERFuture participants.

Through this partnership, the Hub is supporting marginalised women to develop their digital literacy skills, for better livelihoods and poverty reduction – particularly critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the Hub is stimulating inclusive growth of the Indonesian digital ecosystem.

Looking to the future

Participants rated the training programme 4.6/5, with the vast majority finding it helpful and exciting, and would recommend it to friends and colleagues. Following the programme, 90% of participants have become more digitally conscious and gone on to use mobile applications for their businesses.

The success of the programme has been recognised by other local governments, who have accordingly expressed interest in conducting similar training in their own districts.

For more information

Read local media coverage of the partnership:

Jakarta Post: RI, UK to launch entrepreneur training for women

Indonesian Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection website: Launch of the HERFuture online training

More about HERFuture and the UK-Indonesia Tech Hub

To learn more about HERfuture and the UK-Indonesia Tech Hub please contact: akbar.dachlan@fcdo.gov.uk.

The UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) is building a global network of Tech Hubs. The International Tech Hub Network aims to forge innovation partnerships between the UK and international tech sectors, stimulate local digital economies; and build high-end digital skills to drive sustainable jobs and growth.

Contact the network at: international-tech-hub-network@dcms.gov.uk

Following an open and constructive exchange of views on climate change, including on adaptation, mitigation, climate finance and negotiation issues at COP26, the COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma and the Minister of Environment and Urbanisation of Turkey Murat Kurum released the following statement:

We resolved today to work together closely in support of an ambitious, inclusive, negotiated outcome at COP26 that will lead to climate action to limit a temperature rise to 1.5 degrees and to adapt to worsening climate impacts, all to secure a low-carbon and resilient future.

We affirmed our joint commitment to accelerating the fight against climate change ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, recalling our commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in this regard. Both sides agreed that it is vital for the world to act to limit average temperature rises to 1.5 degrees by the end of the century, to avoid the worst effects of climate change. To achieve this the COP President-Designate underlined the importance of all countries committing to achieving net zero emissions by the middle of the century, and 2030 targets aligned with this.

The UK and Turkey underline the need for shared leadership in support of the global response to climate change, recognising the actions the two countries are already taking, and that enhanced actions are required to keep 1.5 degrees in reach. We discussed the UK’s support for Turkey’s energy transition, including through the continued development of the renewable energy sector and the UK’s Climate Finance Accelerator technical assistance programme. We affirmed our common recognition of the huge economic opportunities offered by the green transition across all sectors of the economy, driving green growth and jobs now and into the future.

We acknowledge that Turkey, located in the Mediterranean Basin, which is one of the most vulnerable regions for impacts of climate change, has carried out important work in climate-related activities. It is clear that Turkey has significant potential for both mitigation and adaptation actions. In this context, Turkey is carrying out efforts to mitigate climate change, such as renewable energy investments, energy efficiency in buildings, zero waste, micro-mobility, offshore energy, and climate change adaptation efforts such as forestation, basin-based water management, sustainable and smart agriculture, and preparation of regional and local climate change action plans. With studies ongoing, Turkey shows signs that it will contribute more strongly to the fight against global climate change with the international financial support that will be provided. In order to improve national administrative, legal, human and scientific infrastructure, Turkey continues efforts to prepare a national climate law, constitute a climate change platform, establish a climate change research centre and update its climate change strategy and action plans for 2030 and 2050 targets. We recognised Turkey’s willingness to fight against climate change and Turkey’s climate change awareness, which is at over 88% of her population.

We also welcome Turkey’s roadmap for climate change which aims to increase the recovery rate of waste to 60% by 2035, to increase the reuse rate of treated wastewater to 15% by 2030, and to reduce the fossil fuels used in buildings by 25% by 2023.