#Africa4Future: Airbus to foster new aerospace business models with African startups

Airbus BizLab launches a new call for African startups to rethink how their technology could interact with aerospace

Airbus announced the launch of its second edition of #Africa4Future, a joint accelerator program between Airbus’ global aerospace accelerator BizLab and Make-IT in Africa, a programme by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit German (GIZ), the German agency for International Cooperation.

First launched in 2017, the #Africa4Future initiative was created by Airbus BizLab with the objective to encourage and support entrepreneurship in Africa. The continent’s young and increasingly techno-savvy population is likely to be the driving force behind Africa’s socio-economic development. Setting up an entrepreneurship eco-system requires investment and collaboration. Through #Africa4future, Airbus seeks to build bridges between the aerospace industry and the different players in Africa.

For this second edition, Airbus calls for African tech start-ups that are actively working on solutions related to unmanned logistics and remote sensing technology, including automation and drones, electrification, blockchain, artificial intelligence, data analytics and material composites and manufacturing.

The joint program will be implemented by the MEST and Innocircle consortium—two organizations with a significant presence and deep knowledge of entrepreneurial ecosystems in Africa.

Startups can submit applications for the program, from today until 30th November, 2018 via https://www.airbus-bizlab.com/africa4future. Following review, ten applicants will be chosen for to receive the opportunity to join #Africa4Future, a six-month acceleration program, starting on 7th January, 2019.

The call for startups took place during the release of The Great Enabler: Aerospace in Africa – a White Paper on the role of aerospace technologies and their impact on socio-economic development in Africa. The extensive report looks at how different segments of the industry can address a core set of challenges on the continent by increasing access to healthcare; by making African agriculture more competitive and sustainable; promoting education, training and innovation; empowering businesses with innovative products and solutions; and breaking down barriers to the movement of people and goods across Africa.

The White Paper: ‘The Great Enabler: Aerospace in Africa’ can be downloaded at: http://www.airbus.com/company/worldwide-presence/africa-middle-east.html

About Airbus BizLab

Airbus BizLab is a global aerospace accelerator, where startups and Airbus intrapreneurs speed up the transformation of innovative ideas into valuable businesses. For more information about #Africa4Future, please find us at www.airbus-bizlab.com/africa4future