Application Deadline: August 15th 2016
During 5 days, from Wednesday, 19th to Sunday 23rd of October 2016, an innovative and powerful Africa gathers in Paris. Through conferences and meetings, the LAB will be an inescapable event, a singular reception and a unique place. It aims to build an another perspective of “Africas” to develop expertise, to share the points of view and to underline innovating and appropriate solutions. The chosen theme for this edition : “Inclusive development in Africa : mirage or reality?”
The African Rethink Awards will be held during the Land of African Business – LAB, which
organizes its annual meetings from October 19th to October 23rd 2016 in Paris. The LAB is a place for dialogue and exchanges, gathering decision-makers and entrepreneurs involved in the change towards a more inclusive development model in Africa. It puts the enterprise at the center of the debate and brings together economic, media, social, cultural, associative, political figures, with a transdisciplinary approach, focused of partnerships. Thus, it intends to facilitate the sharing of the best practices developed all over the continent in the various mentioned fields.
The Land of African Business and the African Rethink Awards are an original laboratory, essential to the emergence of African reference models, upstream of the official COP22 negotiations.
The competition has three major objectives:
1. Encourage entrepreneurship and initiatives which answer efficiently to current issues
raised by the societal, economic, social and environmental change in Africa.
2. Encourage entrepreneurial spirit, essential to mesh African countries’ economy with
a dynamic private sector that meets consumers’ needs.
3. Shed a light on promising projects to allow him to get the financial support they
need, especially during their first transformation phase.During the ARA closing ceremony, four prizes will be awarded to encourage laureates through a financial support, international visibility and networking opportunities: the Grand Prize, the Women Entrepreneurship Prize, the Diaspora Prize, the Jury Prize.
Requirements:
- This competition rewards young entrepreneurs from Africa or from the African diaspora who intend to answer efficiently to current societal, economic, social and environmental development issues in Africa.
- These young entrepreneurs will present, during the weekend – October 22nd and 23rd – their business models, in front of an assembly composed of business managers, political, academic and associative figures, experts, media and investors.
- The Great Prize, – 5 000 €
This award intends to award the entrepreneur, African or from the diaspora, whose business plan is the most performing to efficiently solve the issues faced by the population and generate tangible, positive and concrete change in Africa. - The Women Entrepreneurship Prize, – 3 000€
This prize rewards women’s entrepreneurship whether it is from Africa or the African diaspora, for the exemplarity of the startup and its contribu9on to a transi9on towards a more viable and sustainable economic model in Africa. - The Diaspora Prize, – 3 000 €
This prize will reward an entrepreneur for his/her exemplary initiative, which facilitates the transition to a more viable and sustainable economic development in Africa. - The Jury Prize
This Prize, awarded by the Société d’Encouragement pour l’Industrie Nationale (SEIN), will be presented by its president, Olivier Mousson, and will reward a high potential project that participates in the transition towards a viable and sustainable economic model in Africa.