The first BIC Africa Staff Exchange Programme, a pivotal strategy for practical peer-to-peer knowledge transfer among African Business Incubators (BIs), was held in Madagascar from the 16th to 18th of October 2024. This innovative programme aims to facilitate short-term inter-regional exchanges of business incubator staff members, providing a platform for mutual learning and the acquisition of practical experience in the day-to-day operations and management of business incubation services.
Designed to foster long-term sustainable relationships, the programme scouts regional connections and opportunities for client companies by enhancing practical capacities through direct interactions with similar African BIs within the BIC Africa target countries.
The objectives of the BIC Africa Staff Exchange Programme are as follows:
- To give Business Incubators (BIs) first-hand experience in the management, structure, and operational activities of their African counterparts.
- To connect BIs with African counterparts for knowledge sharing, partnerships, and exchange programmes.
- To increase the capacity of the selected BIs through peer learning and networking facilitated by regional collaboration.
- Bridging regional ecosystems and strengthening the regional network by directly connecting BIs to design and execute incubation programs that help entrepreneurs build scalable businesses.
- To empower BIs to identify and develop collaborative business models that align with their local realities, driving growth and sustainability.
Meet the first-round staff exchange programme 2024 participants:
- Fazidatinour OMAR from ARAF hosted by TTM Chambre d’Agriculture de Madagascar
- Farouk Anouoir from Ghiyada Africa hosted by Youth First
- LAIM Lahadji LAGUERA from FADESIM hosted by JADD
- Wardat Said Hachim from ComWork – Comores Coworking hosted by NextA
- YOUSSOUF Abdoul-Madjid from Comor’Lab hosted by Orange Digital Center Madagascar
I had the opportunity to participate in an enriching experience in Antananarivo with NextA, as part of the BIC Africa Staff Exchange Programme, where I was able to exchange with a great team. I also visited inspiring places like Axian University and Ecole 42.
Wardat Said Hachim, Support officer at Com’Work
During this experience, I also participated in a specific workshop in entrepreneurial culture for the Analamanga region, which allowed me to deepen my knowledge of the Malagasy entrepreneurial ecosystem and to collaborate with key players in the sector.
I am excited about the prospects for collaboration that could come from this experience with ComWork – Comores Coworking
The programme operates in a two-way manner, with the visiting representatives from Comoros becoming hosts in the second round. Both visiting and host BIs will benefit from new knowledge, skills, and a better understanding of each other’s ecosystem development perspectives. By leveraging experience and practical exchange, BIs can adapt to their local innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem context and culture to better support entrepreneurs and startups. The second-round staff exchange programme will take place in 2025 in Comoros for the Malagasy BIs.
The BIC Africa Staff exchange programme is set to play a pivotal role in strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem across the five target countries Africa, fostering collaboration, and enhancing the capacity of business incubators to support the growth of startups and SMEs.
We would like to thank all the host BIs for hosting the visiting incubators, the APILE Comoros and INCUBOOST Madagascar country projects, and the European Union Delegations for their support in making this staff exchange programme a reality and a success. Special thanks to our financial partner, the European Union.