On the 23rd of October 2025, we successfully hosted the fourth edition of BIC Africa Annual Gathering at the Palmeiras Hotel in Luanda, Angola with more than 90 in-person participants and 140 online.
This year’s gathering, themed “Empowering Youth-led Startups to Transform Agri-Tech, Agribusiness & Value Chains for Food Security,” co-organised by the Angola Incubator Project, and funded by the European Union, in collaboration with INAPEM and the Delegation of the European Union to Angola.
We were delighted that the gathering brought together ecosystem actors from across the five BIC Africa country-projects (Angola, Comoros, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Somalia), as well as participants from Europe and beyond.
The program started with welcoming remarks from Mateja PERTERNELJ, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Angola and Vasco NUNES, Angola Country Officer from IFC. Bráulio Augusto (PhD), the Chairman of the Board of Directors of INAPEM, welcomed the participants and kicked off the event. During his speech he highlighted the institution’s commitment to strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem and international cooperation, highlighting programs such as BIC Africa. The regional connections that BIC Africa promotes could significantly contribute to the sustainable growth of the Angolan ecosystem.
The gathering featured three high-impact panels moderated by leading ecosystem voices. The first panel on Agri-tech, agri-business and food security: a snapshot from Angola, Comoros, Ethiopia, Madagascar and Somalia focused on the role of Entrepreneurship in Agriculture and Food. Moderated by Robert Sanders (EBN), with speakers including Carina Coimbra da Costa (IFC Angola), Stefania Bait (UNIDO Somalia), Volatiana Rakotondrazafy Andriatahina (UNIDO Madagascar), and Oliver Petzoldt (Sequa, Ethiopia). The panellists shared how the support of business incubators to start-ups and MSMEs engaged in agribusiness can drive agricultural transformation and advance sustainability in food systems.
We’re very glad that the BIC Africa Annual Gathering continues to provide a unique networking platform to facilitate l learning across country projects especially for business incubation experts. They receive the support needed to develop solutions that strengthen resilient innovation and support startup ecosystems, with a strong focus on youth- and women-led enterprises. Moreover, the gathering serves as a vital bridge between African and European innovation ecosystems, deepening collaboration and exchange.”
Robert Sanders, Team Leader of the BIC Africa Project at EBN
The second panel on Agribusiness Success Stories, moderated by Romulo Peixoto, showcased practical innovations, challenges in agribusiness and success stories of Business Incubators and start-ups that are engaged in the field of Agribusiness and Agri-tech, contributing to the generation of higher income and job creation in their communities. The panel featured Martina Cristiane Silva (Acelera Agro), Ewintim Misikir (R&D Group, Ethiopia), João Cabanga (Sementes), and Benjamim Maiato (Agricargas). These changemakers showed how agribusiness innovation and local action can transform agri-value chains and empower communities.
The panel featured meaningful exchanges of best practices and insights on the challenges and opportunities facing agri-tech, agribusiness and value chains in Africa. Speakers reinforced the Angolan ecosystem’s visibility and its links to the broader African and European start-up networks and shared how to empower young entrepreneurs and women in agrifood sectors and accelerate food-security-oriented innovation.
The final panel moderated by Antonella Costa from the IFC, brought together key voices from international organisations and government bodies, this insightful session explored how agri-tech, food security, and value chain development are shaping the continent’s future, with a particular focus on Angola and its regional context. Panelists Chabir Hassam (IFC), Judite Toloko da Silva (UNDP Angola), Ibrahim Osman (Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Somalia), and Clemente Oliveira Paulo (FAO Angola) shared diverse perspectives on how innovation, international collaboration, and investment in technology can strengthen agricultural systems and improve resilience. They have also share what their respective organisations are doing in supporting to create enabling environments, digital transformation, and inclusive policies to unlock Africa’s agricultural potential and ensure sustainable food security across the continent.
Since its first edition the BIC Africa Annual Gathering has served as a flagship platform for dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge exchange among business incubation and innovation ecosystem stakeholders from Angola, Comoros, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Somalia, alongside European partners. It also strengthens the regional network and boosts the African business support organisations and ecosystem potential.
In addition to focused thematic discussions and panel sessions, the annual gathering enabled participants to network, visit the local ecosystem, exchange best practice, explore and foster partnerships, and participate in other side events.
A heartfelt thank you to the 90+ participants, 140+ online attendees, exhibitors, speakers, moderators, and the phenomenal BIC Africa team who made this gathering a true success.
Special thanks to our financial partner the EU, and our local partners – IFC, the EU Delegation to Angola, and INAPEM for their unwavering support and contribution.
BIC Africa project is funded by the European Union and implemented by EBN (European Business and Innovation Centre Network).
The Photo Gallery
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