The African Development Bank's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab launched ENNOVA, an artificial intelligence-powered platform connecting entrepreneurs, enterprise support organizations, educational institutions, and investors across Africa.
The launch took place on 26 February at the 12th Sankalp Africa Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. The annual Sankalp Africa Summit, regarded as the continent's largest conference on entrepreneurship and sustainable development, explores solutions to Africa's challenges such as climate change or food security through business ideas and partnerships.
The Bank's Manager for Education and Skills Development, Hendrina Chalwe Doroba, unveiled the ENNOVA platform during the summit's opening session, representing Dr. Martha Phiri, Director for Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development.
"We designed ENNOVA as part of a larger strategy to enhance skills development and job opportunities for African youth and women," said Doroba. "We're thrilled to launch the African Development Bank's ENNOVA platform during the Sankalp Africa Summit - a destination conference to reach entrepreneurs who stand to gain the most from what the platform offers."
The African Development Bank, which contributed $26,000 to support the summit as an official "knowledge partner," also sponsored a panel discussion titled "From startups to scale-ups: Future-proofing African entrepreneurship ecosystems through technology and innovation." The Bank's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab maintained an interactive exhibition booth offering virtual tours of ENNOVA.
Key features of the ENNOVA platform include:
- A directory of more than 1,300 enterprise support organizations across Africa
- 265 business resources showcasing funding and training opportunities
- An events and newsfeed section that provides ecosystem updates
- Networking and messaging capabilities to facilitate collaboration
- A microsite featuring the Bank's White Paper Series on entrepreneurship and free trade
Following the launch, more than one-third of the summit's estimated 1,500 attendees registered for ENNOVA.
During the Bank-sponsored panel, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab Knowledge and Content Manager Roberta Blankson demonstrated how ENNOVA's tools help entrepreneurs overcome business growth challenges. Panelist Muriel Akiko, founder and CEO of Zuhura Innovation Africa - a women-led organization that supports young people in creating sustainable enterprises - highlighted ENNOVA's value, emphasizing that the focus for startups should be on collaboration and sharing resources.
The Bank also provided complimentary summit tickets to two youth entrepreneurs answering a call for submissions explaining how attending the Sankalp Africa Summit would benefit their work.
One recipient, Nduta Karanja, a Kenyan social entrepreneur in edtech, praised summit sessions addressing the gender investment gap. "The summit was not just about identifying problems; it was about mobilizing resources, connecting the right people, and exploring how we can collectively shape Africa's economic future. The energy and conversations that took place during these sessions are sure to lead to impactful collaborations that will propel entrepreneurs," Karanja said.
Joshwa Tambo, a Nairobi-based German development agency GIZ consultant who also received a sponsorship ticket, was impressed with ENNOVA: "I believe [ENNOVA] is going to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Africa - and personally, I will leverage it to pursue opportunities."
Click here to join ENNOVA with access to resources designed to help businesses grow.
To learn more about ENNOVA, watch this video
