Innova [Africa Future of Work and Entrepreneurship] Fellowship 2023

Calling on innovative, young Africans committed to research-driven solutions for powering Africa’s entrepreneurial future of work.

About the Fellowship

The [Africa Future of Work and Entrepreneurship] Fellowship is designed to equip young innovators across Africa to create research-driven solutions to solving employment challenges and enabling young Africans to thrive in the entrepreneurial future of work.

As part of the fellowship, participants will explore the landscape in their countries through research to understand the realities of employability, the future of work, how jobs are being created in the entrepreneurship sector, the challenges and opportunities and what can be done to make it more effective and valuable. They will also explore projects that help more young people to get and use entrepreneurial skills and start entrepreneurial projects. The fellows will conduct research, engage with stakeholders, discover market opportunities and use human-centered design to launch simple and efficient initiatives and solutions that address the objectives stated. They will pilot their projects and come up with research reports, a live project, and a presentation of their research/projects at the 2023 Africa Future of Work and Entrepreneurship Summit in Kigali.

This is for young people and professionals passionate about entrepreneurial job creation and the future of work

Fellowship Outcomes

Practical data and contextual realities on the employment, entrepreneurial and future of work realities in Africa.
Innovative and practical solutions that address identified challenges or amplify the effectiveness of existing solutions in the space.
Young, skilled African innovators with a research-driven, innovative and human-centered mindset solving the employment and future of work challenges and harnessing the African opportunity

Components and Program Flow

The fellowship comprises the online experience and the opportunity for an offline summit in Kigali Rwanda in November 2023.

Learning Modules include:

Weekly flow will include Self learning sessions, Peer presentations, pitching and feedback, Mentor sessions, progress deliverables and occasional social sessions

Project and Submission Outcomes

Fellowship Benefits

Experiential and Practical Learning Content
Guidance from Experts and Mentors
Collaborative Peers and Community
Support on Innovative Projects
Post-Fellowship Network and support
Partial or full sponsorship to Africa Future of Work & Entrepreneurship Summit in Kigali, Rwanda.

Program Timelines

June - July 15, 2023

Applications

July 17 - 21, 2023

Selection Announcements

July 24, 2023

Fellowship Kick off

September 29, 2023

Mid-program travel sponsorship selection

November 11-12, 2023

Africa Future of Work and Entrepreneurship Summit, Kigali

December 1-2, 2023

Fellowship round-off and alumni program launch

Program Timelines

June - July 15, 2023

Applications

July 17 - 21, 2023

Selection Announcements

July 24, 2023

Fellowship Kick off

September 29, 2023

Mid-program travel sponsorship selection

November 11-12, 2023

Africa Future of Work and Entrepreneurship Summit, Kigali

December 1-2, 2023

Fellowship round-off and alumni program launch

What is expected from you as a fellow

Application Process

To apply:

Download the application pack and complete the questions, save it as a PDF
After completing step 1 above, submit your application, by filling the form and uploading the PDF from step 1

Africa Future of Work and Entrepreneurship Summit 2022

The summit will be a one to two days event that will bring together leaders from across the continent to discuss the future of work and to share ideas on how to prepare for the changing economy. The summit will include a mix of keynote presentations, panel discussions, and networking opportunities. More than 500 innovators across and outside Africa are expected to attend live in Kigali, Rwanda.

Summit Recap

The 2022 edition welcomed about 200 participants from 6 different countries and was an amazing day of exhibitions, networking, presentations, panel sessions and learning. You can see more by reading and watching below: