Création Africa shortlist of 40 businesses chosen for mentorship programme for cultural and creative entrepreneurs
The objective of CrĂ©ation Africa is to enable Africa’s emerging creative and cultural entrepreneurs to make a sustainable and sustaining impact on their national and regional economies
The Embassy of France, The French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), and UVU Africa are delighted to announce that a shortlist of 40 creative and cultural initiatives has been selected in the R24 million Création Africa programme.
CrĂ©ation Africa is a ground-breaking initiative, launched by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in 2023 to boost and support entrepreneurship in the Cultural and Creative industries in South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi. It is driven by France’s broader engagement with Africa, focusing on youth, entrepreneurship, and creative industries.
The 40 promising initiatives capture the economic significance and diversity of the CCI sectors in all three countries. The talented young entrepreneurs and businesses (of which 35% are represented by female participants) lead projects spanning fashion and design (35%), audiovisual and media (32.5%), video games (10%), music, literature, visual arts, performing arts, and multidisciplinary ventures.
“The response to our call for CrĂ©ation Africa applications was overwhelmingly positive and enormously encouraging,” says H. E. David Martinon, Ambassador of France to South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi. “CrĂ©ation Africa received 702 applications, many of them of excellent quality and representing the diversity of cultures, genders, economic sectors and geographic regions. We are satisfied that we have chosen the most promising and deserving projects out of an enormously competitive field and look forward to taking the next step together with those businesses that go on to the next phase of the programme.”
In total, 72 applicants were pre-selected to pitch their business ideas and growth plans to a panel of jurors over three days in the second half of February, 2024. Jury members were drawn from the Embassy of France in South Africa, IFAS, UVU Africa, Bpifrance, as well as Team France partners and experts in the local CCI industries, based on their expertise in business development, their familiarity with the cultural and creative industries; and their understanding of the role of entrepreneurship plays in economic growth and development.
The 40 chosen initiatives, of which 2 are from Lesotho, 4 from Malawi, and 34 from South Africa, will now take part in an intensive month-long mentoring programme with Création Africa partner, UVU Africa. The programme will address a wide range of topics including business planning, marketing, corporate finance, sales, access to funding, as well as in depth insights into the cultural and creative ecosystems.
Bpifrance has also joined CrĂ©ation Africa as a French investment partner to explore and unlock worldwide partnership and networking opportunities as part of the next phase of the programme which will see 12 of the 40 entrepreneurs graduate into CrĂ©ation Africa’s tailored 5-month incubation programme, as well as an immersion programme run by Bpifrance through its platform Euroquity for market exposure and investment.
“The ultimate objective of CrĂ©ation Africa is to establish an ecosystem that identifies and nurtures cultural initiatives and enables Africa’s emerging creative and cultural entrepreneurs to make a sustainable and sustaining impact on their national and regional economies, and on Africa’s continental economy,” David Martinon says.
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About the 40 cultural and creative businesses
About IFAS
Since its creation in 1995, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) has been working on a strong policy of cooperation between South Africa, France and the rest of the African continent. The cultural arm of the Embassy of France to South Africa, IFAS works in all fields of artistic creation, with priority given to the cultural and creative industries. Through actions based on co-creation, IFAS encourages and promotes collaboration with key players in the French cultural sector. IFAS actively promotes young talent and training and participates in the reflection on public policies by constantly pursuing the idea that arts and culture are powerful factors for inclusion and social cohesion. Each year IFAS organises or supports more than 100 projects, which are carried out with partners located in South Africa but also on the whole African continent, in France and in Europe.
About UVU Africa
UVU Africa, a non-profit organisation dedicated to building future-fit, inclusive societies across Africa through technology and innovation, shares the vision of a united continent embracing innovation for positive, sustainable transformation.
UVU Accelerate, the entrepreneurial development, and incubation arm of UVU Africa, serves as a catalyst for African entrepreneurship success. Through tailored incubation programs, UVU Accelerate offers unparalleled training and support, including tech enablement, interactive workshops, industry-specific mentorship, access to online learning platforms, and networking opportunities. The vision at UVU Accelerate is to support business growth, job creation, and economic stimulation across the continent. Join UVU Africa in shaping the future of African economies.
About Bpifrance
As a partner to entrepreneurs, the French public investment bank (Bpifrance) supports companies from their creation to their listing on the stock exchange, with credit, guarantees and equity capital. Through its action, Bpifrance promotes innovation, development, and internationalization of target companies, by contributing to their financing in terms of loans, innovation aid and equity capital.
Bpifrance has been active in Africa for 20+ years with the objective of contributing to the development of African innovation economies and creating bridges between African and European business ecosystems. Bpifrance’s engagement in the regions includes events like Inspire & Connect conferences in African cities, support for local female entrepreneurs, and export finance aid. The bank involvement also extends to equity investment in African funds, technical assistance for SMEs, and geographical presence through offices in Abidjan, Nairobi, Casablanca, and Dakar.
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