Entrepreneurship Support in African Higher Education Institutions

Program Overview

The AfDB Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab launched this project to map and assess Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (ESOs) within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across Africa. The initiative aimed to identify success factors for HEI-led entrepreneurship training and strengthen the capacity of African HEIs to support youth-led startups. This project focused on:

• Mapping existing ESOs within HEIs across the continent.
• Identifying success factors for HEIs offering entrepreneurship training and managing ESOs, such as incubators, accelerators, and HEI-hosted investment funds.
• Developing and delivering capacity-building workshops for African HEIs on setting up and running effective ESOs.

The project involved a comprehensive landscape analysis, a benchmarking study of successful HEIs, and capacity-building efforts to enhance entrepreneurship support structures within African universities.

Program Structure

Landscape Analysis & Mapping

A large-scale landscaping exercise was conducted to identify and evaluate African higher education institutions (HEIs) that support entrepreneurship through academic programs or entrepreneurship support organizations (ESOs). This process involved mapping over 1,000 HEIs across Africa using data from the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa (ATUPA). Additionally, 26 HEIs from Africa’s five regions were benchmarked for their successful enterprise support models. The analysis also incorporated best practices from African and international HEIs, independent ESOs, and capital-providing organizations to understand effective strategies for fostering entrepreneurship within HEIs.

Qualitative & Quantitative Research

To gain a deeper understanding of higher education institution (HEI) entrepreneurship ecosystems, the project team conducted surveys, interviews, and on-site visits with key stakeholders. This research culminated in a comprehensive landscape analysis report for the African Development Bank (AfDB), detailing three internal administrative models for HEI-led entrepreneurship structures, opportunities for collaboration between HEIs, industry, and innovation ecosystems, and a proposed ideal HEI model for holistic entrepreneurship support. The report also provided actionable recommendations for AfDB, African governments, and HEIs to enhance innovation and entrepreneurship across the continent.

Capacity-Building & Training for HEIs

To strengthen HEI entrepreneurship support systems, the project team:

• Designed and delivered training programs for HEI ESOs, focusing on:
  
  • Establishing and managing incubators, accelerators, and innovation hubs.
  • Developing career-oriented entrepreneurship programs.
  • Strengthening academia-industry collaboration.
• Delivered a virtual training program for 71 participants from 62 HEIs across 25 African countries, equipping them with tools to establish and expand entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Developed a pilot curriculum and workshop to guide African HEIs in launching and managing enterprise support organizations (ESOs).

Impact

• Improved the capacities of 62 HEIs across 25 African countries to establish and maintain enterprise support organisations, designed inclusive capacity-building programs for student entrepreneurs, and commercialised research outputs.
• Established a community for key entrepreneurship stakeholders within African HEIs to network and collaborate to advance Africa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem

‍