Gideon Maxwell
October 13, 2025
In Nairobi, the 10th annual meeting of AfriLabs convened policy-makers, investors and over 2,000 delegates from more than 50 countries under the theme “Africa’s Innovation Future: Policy, Partnerships and Progress”.
Yemi Osinbajo, who attended the event as Guardian of the Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation initiative, underlined the imperative of harnessing technology and innovation not merely for commercial gain but for the public good.
He emphasised that for Africa’s innovation ecosystem to deliver meaningful impact, governments must create transparent and merit-based programmes, provide patient capital and partner with innovation hubs to turn ideas into inclusive solutions.
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Osinbajo noted that the gathering offered a vital platform for building cross-border linkages and aligning policy, funding and infrastructure to scale African innovation hubs, which now number more than 500 across 53 countries.
His remarks signal a push for the continent to move from isolated startup success-stories to an ecosystem characterised by deep institutional support and broad participation in the innovation economy.
