The Smart Cities Innovation Programme is Supporting High-Potential Start-Ups with the #SCIPAfrica Accelerator

The Smart Cities Innovation Programme (SCIP), in collaboration with the Rwandan government, is inviting tech start-ups operating in the mobility, housing, or fintech to apply to the #SCIPAfrica accelerator and contribute to shaping the African cities of tomorrow.

SCIP is a joint project of the Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation and the Tech-Entrepreneurship Initiative ‘Make-IT in Africa’. Both initiatives are implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), supported by Luvent Consulting, MEST, and AfriLabs.

The SCIP is a 6-month remote accelerator, set to run from June to December 2021, which aims at supporting 30 high-potential digital urban innovations from Africa.

The programme will be divided into 3 tracks: Smart Mobility, Smart Housing, and Fintech for Affordability. It will culminate with demo days organised in Kigali during the last week of September.

The start-ups will benefit from individual mentoring, training as well as intensive networking and matchmaking with international business partners and investors, including Volkswagen, Siemens and the African Business Angels Network (ABAN). Start-ups will also be able to use Green City Kigali, Rwanda’s flagship smart city project, as a sandbox to test their solutions and enter the Rwandan market.

Start-ups must have already launched their tech-enabled product or service on the African market and have customers to qualify. “They should also have a high growth and job creation potential, as well as a positive social and/or environmental impact. Finally, start-ups from Rwanda and/or with female members in management are preferred at equal qualification,” SCIP said in the statement.

To participate, applications must be submitted on www.scipafrica.com before the end of the Open Call on May 9.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit additional information about their start-up and participate in an interview.