AEDIB|NET: Bridging Digital Innovation Ecosystems across Africa and Europe is the first step of a broader approach to the African–European collaboration on digitalization and innovation. The project was launched under the broader political initiative AEDIB, initiated by EU Member States (France, Belgium, and Germany) and the European Commission to the EC’s Digital 4 Development process (D4D)

Funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program and coordinated by GIZ in Germany, AEDIB|NET brings together a network of strong partners from the African and European innovation ecosystem with the ambition to:

• Inspire the ecosystem actors by developing a supportive innovation policy framework for innovation, building the capacity of marginalized groups and enhancing digital and entrepreneurship skills via a ‘Digital Entrepreneur Skills Academy’.
• Create Digital Innovation by establishing African Digital Innovation Hubs (ADIHs), a Digital Hub Lab, online marketplaces with virtual communities and investor networks. The ADIHs will focus on four topics: Climate Smart Agriculture, Smart Cities, Digital Trade and Clean Tech.
• Connect start-ups, SMEs, DIHs, diaspora and other African and European ecosystem players in trans-continental partnerships to facilitate inter-continental collaboration and the creation of a common digital innovation ecosystem.

Further information about the project can be found here.