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By Chukwuma Umeorah
As part of efforts to strengthen youth-led innovation and improve coordination across Africa’s development ecosystem, LEAP Africa has announced plans to gather policymakers, investors and development partners to deliberate on how technology, finance and policy can support systems change on the continent.
The organisation said this high level deliberation will be held on November 25 at the 12th edition of its Social Innovators Programme and Awards (SIPA). Themed “Africa as THE Sector: Maximising Possibilities through Technology, Finance, and Policy,” the session will examine the structural gaps limiting young innovators and explore practical measures for improving collaboration, investment flows and policy support. LEAP Africa noted that the objective is to reposition Africa as a functional sector of innovation rather than an emerging market.
Executive Director of LEAP Africa, Kehinde Ayeni, said the theme reflected the need for a shift in how Africa’s innovation capacity is perceived. “Africa is not a peripheral player; it is the sector of opportunity, creativity, and transformation. We are intentional about positioning young African innovators as architects of a redefined global order. More than a convening, it is a movement that challenges us to believe that Africa’s ingenuity can and must set the agenda for the future.”
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Since 2013, SIPA has served as a platform for linking young social innovators with mentors, funders and networks across the continent. This year’s edition will include a pre-conference mixer for funders and innovators, a partner breakfast dialogue aimed at improving collaboration, and a solution lab focused on identifying policy and financing gaps.
Chief Operating Officer, Deloitte Africa Consulting, Abimbola Ogundare, Regional Head, ANDE West Africa and Francophone, Karina Karunwi (Awa Daffe), Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Nigeria, Naomi Emeka Nwokolo, among others are slated to speak at the event.
Data shows that more than 290 innovators from 15 African countries have participated in SIPA, reaching over four million people and generating more than $6 million in funding and revenue. The convening will end with the SIPA Awards Ceremony, which will recognise recipients of the Outstanding Innovator Award, Social Impact Award, Seyi Bickersteth Award and the Innocent Chukwuma Prize.
