The Global Start-up Awards Africa (GSA Africa) 2024 is now open for entries, and urges African innovators, start-ups and ecosystem enablers dedicated to solving critical global challenges to submit their entries.
Now in its 11th edition, GSA Africa is billed among the largest independent start-up ecosystem competitions on the continent. It is a vehicle for the Global Innovation Initiative Group (GIIG) Africa Fund, which funds and scales Africa’s most innovative start-ups with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-aligned solutions.
According to a statement, GSA Africa 2024 is made possible through a strategic partnership between GIIG, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Labour and Skills, the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute.
Through strategic partnerships, GSA Africa 2024 champions African entrepreneurship and provides global visibility and scale support to start-ups on the continent.
Ethiopia is the host for the African finale in October.
Aligned with the SDGs, the 2024 categories include green technology, health technology, mobility and logistics, agriculture tech, financial tech and women in tech. This year also sees the debut of the youth start-up category, which focuses on start-ups led by visionary founders under the age of 26.
“GSA Africa is more than a competition; it champions the spirit of African entrepreneurship, providing global visibility and potential investment opportunities through the GIIG Africa Fund,” comments Jo Griffiths, co-founder of GIIG.
“Last year's participation of 8 200+ entries from all 54 African Union member states was a remarkable achievement and we look forward to seeing what 2024 holds.”
The competition has four phases, with winners progressing through national and regional levels before converging at the GSA Africa Summit in Addis Ababa.
The summit offers a platform for innovators to connect, celebrate and propel Africa's most innovative minds, along with ambassadors, international investors, corporate leaders and key government stakeholders, says GSA Africa.
Winners gain exclusive access to the GSA Alumni Network, offering networking opportunities, mentorship and connections with regional and global stakeholders.
Each category has general and specific criteria that must be met for applicants to advance through the competition framework. Applicants are encouraged to review the category requirements.
For further details about GSA Africa 2024 and the application process, visit the GSA Africa and GIIG websites.
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