G20 African Union
African Union
Overview of the African Union (AU) Policy Framework on Innovation including Open Innovation
The African Union's (AU) policy framework on innovation is centered on the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034 (STISA-2034), which aims to drive Africa toward a knowledge-based, innovation-led economy. Open innovation, while not explicitly defined in a standalone policy, is strongly encouraged through a core emphasis on multi-stakeholder collaboration and partnerships.
Au Policy and Strategy Frameworks
AU Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA 2034)
The Science Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034 is the new and holistic direction for exploiting STI in tackling Africa’s challenges whilst fostering growth and competitiveness. The STISA 2034 mirrors national and regional priorities such as Agriculture, Health, ICT, Energy and Environment (focusing on climate change and biodiversity loss) which are central to its sectoral scope. The strategy demonstrates Africa’s resolve to industrialize, bolster its infrastructure and further develop its human capabilities. It further shows the continent’s resolve to deploy science diplomacy and all types of partnerships to catalyze its socio-economic development.
To pivot the implementation and impact of STISA-2034, engagement and monitoring will remain a continuous process to consolidate buy-in and ownership. There is a need for build wider inter-governmental and multi-stakeholder support among AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities, academic institutions, civil society-based groups, the private sector and the G 20, to realize the objectives of this promising blueprint to create a knowledge-based economy.
Learn more → About Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI)
Ongoing Initiatives and Projects
AU Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA 2034)
The Science Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034 is the new and holistic direction for exploiting STI in tackling Africa’s challenges whilst fostering growth and competitiveness. The STISA 2034 mirrors national and regional priorities such as Agriculture, Health, ICT, Energy and Environment (focusing on climate change and biodiversity loss) which are central to its sectoral scope. The strategy demonstrates Africa’s resolve to industrialize, bolster its infrastructure and further develop its human capabilities. It further shows the continent’s resolve to deploy science diplomacy and all types of partnerships to catalyze its socio-economic development.
To pivot the implementation and impact of STISA-2034, engagement and monitoring will remain a continuous process to consolidate buy-in and ownership. There is a need for build wider inter-governmental and multi-stakeholder support among AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities, academic institutions, civil society-based groups, the private sector and the G 20, to realize the objectives of this promising blueprint to create a knowledge-based economy.
Learn more → AU-EU Innovation Agenda Interface AU-EU Innovation Agenda
Innovation Framework for the Innovation Unit under the Department of ESTI of the AUC
The framework for the African Union Commission's (AUC) Innovation Unit under the Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI) is built on the continental strategy, specifically the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024), now transitioning to STISA-2034. The unit's role will to operationalize these mandates and advance Agenda 2063 by promoting innovation across all sectors.
Innovating Education in Africa
The Innovating Education in Africa (IEA) program addresses critical challenges in access, quality, and relevance of education across the continent. Since 2018, it has identified 225 innovations, accelerated 31, and reached over one million beneficiaries. Each year, IEA endorses up to 50 promising solutions, showcases them through dialogues and pitch events, and provides grants of up to $30,000 to strengthen their integration into public systems. Its structured cycle—calls, dialogues, pitches, and grants—ensures that ideas move from recognition to real-world implementation. By linking innovators, governments, and partners, IEA creates scalable models that reshape education and bridge the gap between skills and opportunities.
Learn more → IEA 2025
Innovating Education in Africa
The Innovating Education in Africa (IEA) program addresses critical challenges in access, quality, and relevance of education across the continent. Since 2018, it has identified 225 innovations, accelerated 31, and reached over one million beneficiaries. Each year, IEA endorses up to 50 promising solutions, showcases them through dialogues and pitch events, and provides grants of up to $30,000 to strengthen their integration into public systems. Its structured cycle—calls, dialogues, pitches, and grants—ensures that ideas move from recognition to real-world implementation. By linking innovators, governments, and partners, IEA creates scalable models that reshape education and bridge the gap between skills and opportunities.
Learn more → IEA 2025
Enterprise Africa Network (EAN)
The African Enterprise Network (EAN) is an initiative of the African Union (AU) to support and promote Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the continent. Launched as a strategic effort by the AU Heads of State and Government, the EAN aims to connect these businesses with markets, skills, and funding. The EAN Fellowship Programme, a key component of the network, offers a 12-month program for selected innovative African small businesses.
African Union Startup Pavilion (AUYSP) at the IATF: The marketplace of the AfCFTA
The Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), launched in 2018 as the first deliverable of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), serves as a transformative platform for Africa’s business landscape—particularly for SMEs, women- and youth-led enterprises. It enables entrepreneurs to connect, showcase innovations, and build partnerships with businesses, governments, and investors across the continent.
For the 2025 edition, the AU Youth Start-Up Pavilion will host 55 high-potential, tech-driven start-ups. Its objectives are to highlight cutting-edge African innovations in key sectors (AI, green industry, health, agriculture), connect start-ups with ecosystem actors, build entrepreneurial capacity, and foster synergies with global partners. The 2025 start-up cohort has already been selected.
Learn more → AUYSP
The African Women in Processing Initiative (AWIP)
The AWIP is an initiative which aims to bridge the gender gap in the manufacturing sector by providing African women with a platform for knowledge exchange, opportunity exploration, and partnership formation. By supporting the African Union's industrialization agenda and the goals of Agenda 2063, AWIP seeks to catalyze and accelerate women-led industrial processing.
By mainstreaming AWIP across all levels of business development, African women will benefit greatly from mechanisms for knowledge documentation, sharing, and experience capitalization to facilitate learning and exchange. It will also be an opportunity to develop systems for business intelligence, monitoring, and evaluation to ensure the implementation of policies is effective in Africa.
Learn more → AWIP
AU Innovation Lab
To leverage the continent’s demographic dividend and fuel the Success of 1mNL & Agenda 2063, the InnoLab was established in August 2024 with the support of the GIZ Office to the African Union, to pursue “Impactful Policies and Innovations that work for young people and advance Agenda 2063 through Innovation and Co-Creation”. The lab operates through three workstreams, including Innovation Management, Ecosystem Linkages and collaboration, as well as Innovation Capacity Building.
Currently, all innovation initiatives at the WGYD fall under the InnoLab Umbrella. Opportunities for Collaboration: The Lab’s anchorage in 1mNL and Agenda 2063 aligns it perfectly with the core of Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024)
AU Civic Tech Fund (AUCTF)
Organized in partnership with GIZ African Union, the AU Civic Tech Fund, is a pan-African initiative that seeks to support initiatives and projects that strengthen citizen engagement through innovative tools and digital technologies. The 12-month initiative catalyses and scales innovative civic tech solutions that harness the power of technology to drive citizen-led transformative action across the African continent.
Learn more → The 2nd Edition of the AU Civic Tech Fund
AU GO GAL!
This is a NextGen Challenge for budding women innovators. 20 young women have already been selected from across the 5 AU regions. They will receive outstanding mentorship from eminent African women innovators. Subsequently, top 8 finalists will receive recognition, and seed funding. However, the support will also extend to all applicants. As such, all applicants will be eligible for curated courses in innovation from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
Learn more → AU GO GAL!
AU Digital and Innovation Fellowship (Tech Fellowship)
The AU Digital and Innovation Fellowship Program is a groundbreaking 12-month initiative that embeds Africa's brightest tech talent across African Union (AU) Departments and Organs as resident fellows. The carefully selected innovators work together with AU teams to identify critical institutional data management and operational challenges, co-create cutting-edge digital and innovative solutions, optimize data management systems and enhance overall organizational efficiency. Status: Cohort 2 ends in October 2025 and plans to enrol cohort 3 are underway.
Learn more → 2nd Cohort of the AU Digital and Innovation Fellowship
AU Innofest
The graduation of the current cohort of the Tech Fellowship will culminate in an Innovation Festival. The three-day InnoFest will feature high-level dialogues, interactive exhibitions, design sprints, masterclasses, and intra-AU pitching sessions, positioning the AU not only as a convening authority, but also as an active driver of innovation across Africa. As part of the implementation of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda, the InnoFest will further highlight opportunities for cross-continental collaboration and the scaling of transformative solutions.
Opportunity for Collaboration: The InnoFest can be co-convened and co-created by the Innovation Working Group, in close collaboration with the host units of Tech Fellows.
AU Events
The African Startup Conference
The African Startup Conference (ASC), inspired by the 2022 Algiers Declaration, is a strategic platform uniting governments, investors, incubators, and entrepreneurs to strengthen Africa’s startup ecosystem. Its mission is to position African startups at the forefront of global innovation while tackling local challenges such as youth unemployment, inequality, and financial inclusion. The Startup Conference is championed by the Algerian government which has set up a Secretariat and in collaboration with the AUC implements AU Policy organ decisions on the same. The 2025 edition is scheduled to take place in December 2025 under the Theme “Raising African Champions”.
Learn more → African Startup Conference
AU-EU Innovation Fair 2025
AU-EU Innovation Fair will be organized on the 23rd October, 2025. Building on successful past editions, this Innovation Fair will represent a key stakeholder event under the theme “Enabling that step forward”, in the implementation of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda and will feature successful R&I projects, start-ups and SMEs, business support organisations and innovation ecosystems from the EU, the AU and the Mediterranean region as well as their collaborative ventures.
Learn more → AU-EU Innovation Fair 2025
