Three and a half years ago, Victor Konde and I created the African Technology Development Forum (ATDF). I was convinced then, that there was a real need for developing a mechanism to assist aspiring entrepreneurs in Africa to realize their ambitions. I continue to believe this. By providing direct financial, administrative and technical support, the Forum aims at creating jobs and wealth. In my mind, it provides a modest, true, but nonetheless concrete alternative for fighting poverty.
The birth of a journal The Forum was initially conceived in 2003 as a virtual centre dedicated to facilitating information exchange related to technology and development in Africa. In September 2004, the Forum was formally launched, focussing primarily on linking industry, research and development institutions, as well as government agencies by providing space for the exchange of experiences on the internet. Established as a not-for-profit organization, the Forum provides a platform for the exchange and dissemination of information on inventions, technologies and business opportunities as well as trends in global trade.
Key to our efforts, right from the start, was a quarterly newsletter which provided briefs for policy makers, the business community and others on emerging trends in technology, trade, investment and development. Since its launch, the newsletter has slowly transformed itself, from simply providing an online presence for technology, trade and innovation stories to actually becoming a fully-fledged journal, covering the enhancement of the necessary aspects of human, institutional and capacity in innovation and technology transfer
I think it is fair to say that it is now considered as an authoritative publication on African issues. The Journal carries papers that address challenges of the continent and offer solutions to them. The main goal is to identify a challenge or opportunity, analyse it and design or suggest measures to overcome or realize it.
A hub for business ATDF also provides direct support to African business through its Entrepreneurship Hub, an independent corporate unit based in Lusaka, Zambia. The Hub was established to promote entrepreneurship and innovation, and to facilitate the development of businesses, products and services as a practical way of reducing poverty. It is currently funded by one of its directors. The Hub is involved in five main activities:
Entrepreneurship Support Investment — An equity financing facility designed to promote African men and women entrepreneurs, especially those below the age of 40, with innovative business ideas and the necessary discipline and skills to convert their ideas and concepts into successful companies. Investments are typically up to USD 50,000 (or less than 30% of a firm’s share capital); in exceptional cases, the Hub may invest up to USD 100,000. The conditions and size of the investments are dictated by the needs of the business proposals.
Entrepreneurship Challenge Award — A prize designed to help young people (below the age of 40) to refine their business concepts, conduct market research and interact with seasoned entrepreneurs. Successful projects may also apply for Entrepreneurship Support Investment.
Business incubation and commercialization — The Hub also offers on-site and off-site incubation services to firms it supports or that may need space and technical assistance, in particular spin-offs of firms and Research & Development centres.
Business Intelligence Support — A new product that will focus on monitoring, collecting, analyzing and disseminating trends in the technology, trade and investment areas. It will also provide a depository of creative, marketable and thoughtful business ideas.
Entrepreneurship Course — Designed to stimulate entrepreneurial creativity and innovation, facilitate commercialization of research output and encourage the development of private and public enterprises.
Sharing the dream The Hub invests in and promotes entrepreneurship, initially in Zambia and, later on, in other African countries, depending on availability of resources, performance and the response of local individuals that share our dream of poverty reduction through entrepreneurship. The Hub does not favour any particular sector but selects projects based on their ability to grow, commercial and technical viability and the contribution to development and the creation of jobs.
The Forum held its first technology fair in August, in Lusaka. The Fair offered innovative firms, institutes and independent inventors an opportunity to display their concepts, designs, products and services; facilitate the formation of business partnerships and technology alliances; and attract investment. It also offered participants to address some of the thorny issues that may be holding back the technological development of Africa as well as an opportunity to scout for talents and potential entrepreneurs of interest.
The Forum is a very lean organization that depends totally on the in-kind contributions of its small army of directors, editors, advisors, members of the steering committee, authors and well-wishers to implement its programmes at near-zero cost to the organization. I am extremely grateful to all those that have believed in our ideas and supported the organization in the past and continue to support it to this day. Biodiversity businesses With regards to biodiversity, I think there is need for a support system for investment in individuals — ones with the skills and/or the discipline to run successful biodiversity-based companies in a sustainable manner — taking into account the science, technical, financial and development stage of their business. The application of biodiversity business tools (‘biotools’) to investment processes will enable biodiversity objectives to be incorporated into sustainable business models. This will enable the integration of biodiversity and financial objectives to enable the emergence of firms that use biodiversity sustainably.
Also, in the absence of legislation and regulation that allows a value to be placed on biodiversity, governments require a hand from private businesses and financiers to generate revenues that will support both the government and the community at large. The question is not what the role of business is in advancing the goals of the Convention, but how. ATDF is finding innovative ways to harness resources and knowledge through partnerships to develop biodiversity businesses. For example, the hub is currently looking at a number of environmental technologies and two biodiversity projects, one on perfume producing plants and the other on Jetropha, a plant oil that may have a much higher ignition point and viscosity than kerosene.
The preliminary results of the Forum, as well as the amazing feedback we are getting in Africa and elsewhere, give me hope in the huge task that lays ahead of us. I believe that the model provided by the Forum is worth considering for the development of technology transfer to and from Africa and the development, in particular, of ‘biodiversity businesses’.
Constantine Bartel (
[email protected]) is Assistant Programmes Director, International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and Co-Founder,
African Technology Development Forum, infos at:
[email protected]
(1) ISSN: 1817-2008. Official abbreviation: Afr. Technol. Dev. Forum j.
