In a bold move to reinforce Africa’s innovation ecosystem, the African Union Development Agency – NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) has officially launched its Akili AI MSME UpSkill Lab 2025, spotlighting 12 trailblazing startups from Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa. With support from global and regional partners, the programme is designed to equip founders with the tools, networks and investment readiness needed to scale across the continent and beyond.
Speaking at the unveiling, AUDA-NEPAD affirmed its resolve to “empower African founders and strengthen the innovation ecosystem,” emphasising that this cohort embodies resilience, creativity and the forward-thinking spirit that continues to define Africa’s entrepreneurial DNA.
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AUDA-NEPAD’s Diverse Innovators Tackling Africa’s Pressing Challenges
Each of the selected ventures brings a unique mission and technological edge, demonstrating the depth and diversity of Africa’s startup talent. Their focus spans health, clean energy, fintech, agriculture, mental health, mobility and talent development.
- Betalife Health Service (Nigeria) aims to solve Africa’s chronic blood shortage by using an AI-powered real-time matching system that links hospitals, donors, and logistics providers.
- Betapawa Solutions introduces AI-driven solar microgrids to displace diesel generators, offering SMEs sustainable and affordable electricity.
- Bictorys (Senegal) simplifies financial operations for enterprises through an omnichannel platform that unifies collections, reconciliation and reporting.
- CRAB A RIDE (South Africa) is developing a carpooling platform to make daily commuting safer, cost-effective and less congested.
- CureRoot leverages Africa’s rich biodiversity, using indigenous medicinal plants to explore novel drug discovery pathways.
- FriendnPal addresses mental health access via a predictive, multilingual AI platform, bridging gaps in emotional support across African societies.
- Mafalia (Senegal) empowers merchants with digital tools to optimise operations and deepen customer engagement.
- PROBOUTIK (Senegal) integrates payments, lending and financial management to formalise the continent’s informal microbusiness sector.
- MyItura (Nigeria) links patients, providers and insurers within a single health ecosystem to increase efficiency, transparency and accountability.
- ProDevs connects African professionals with global job opportunities using AI-driven hiring systems—striking at unemployment and talent migration.
- SENFRAIS (Senegal) combats post-harvest losses via solar-powered refrigerated tricycles, extending produce shelf life while keeping costs low.
- UfarmX® bridges the agriculture financing gap—estimated at over $100 billion—by offering farmers real-time access to funding and market insights through AI.
This impressive mix underscores how fertile the intersection of mission and technology is in Africa right now. Whether enhancing healthcare logistics, digitising informal finance, or rethinking mobility, these startups are solving deeply rooted continental challenges.
Strategic Partnerships Fuel Scale and Impact
The Akili AI UpSkill Lab is more than a showcase: it is a deliberate intervention to future-proof African enterprises in an increasingly data-driven global economy. Anchored by support from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Meta, and Pitchwise, AUDA-NEPAD is aligning public and private resources to amplify innovation capacity across the continent.
Beyond capital, the programme emphasises AI integration, investor readiness and capacity building, shifting the narrative: technology is not a luxury but a critical cornerstone for resilience, competitiveness and inclusion.
For investors, entrepreneurs, and observers alike, the launch signals growing confidence in Africa’s ability to generate globally competitive innovation. As these twelve startups scale, they become living proof that Africa is not waiting to catch up—it is setting the pace.
From Lagos to Dakar to Johannesburg, this cohort reflects a continent in motion, innovating for itself and for the world.
How Effective is the AUDA-NEPAD New Innovation Cohort? Scaling, Funding and Pan-African Growth
The coming months will test how effectively AUDA-NEPAD and its partners can shepherd these startups into investable, scalable ventures. Key will be:
- Access to capital – attracting follow-on funding from regional and global investors
- Market expansion – going beyond national borders to serve multiple African markets
- Technical mentorship and infrastructure – deepening AI, data, operations expertise
- Ecosystem alignment – integrating with local incubators, governments, and regulatory bodies
These twelve ventures, backed by strategic alliances and bold vision, are now set to carry the mantle of Africa’s next innovation wave.
For now, the spotlight is on execution. But if this debut cohort is any indication, Africa’s startup story has only just begun.
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