AfriLabs Annual Gathering 2025: AEIP showcases Africa–Europe collaboration

The AfriLabs Annual Gathering 2025, held from 13 to 15 October 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya, brought together hundreds of innovation stakeholders from across Africa representing over 50 African countries and beyond under the theme “Africa’s Innovation Future: Policy, Partnerships & Progress.”

Among the key contributors was the Africa–Europe Innovation Platform (AEIP), which presented its Twinning Programme as a leading model for cross-continental collaboration in innovation and entrepreneurship.

AEIP at the heart of collaboration

The AEIP Twinning Programme connects Business Support Organisations (BSOs) from Africa and Europe, including innovation hubs, accelerators, science parks, and research institutions. The programme promotes peer learning, co-creation, and the scaling of innovation practices between the two continents.

During the Gathering, AEIP featured across several thematic tracks such as Policy, Data & AI and Investor and Investment, with themes including Makerspaces and Hub Solutions. These sessions offered participants an opportunity to discuss how collaborative innovation can advance inclusive and sustainable development.

AEIP also hosted a dedicated information stand at the exhibition area, which served as a hub for networking and knowledge exchange. The stand attracted innovators, policymakers, and investors eager to learn about the Twinning Programme and explore opportunities for partnership. It also highlighted early outcomes from the first 20 Twinning pairs, including examples of joint programming and cross-border learning.

Showcasing tangible partnerships

The AEIP Twinning Programme, implemented by AfriLabs in collaboration with EBN, Technopolis Group, SARIMA, VC4A, Enrich in Africa Centre, ACTS, and The Youth Café, has established 20 structured pairings between African and European BSOs. These partnerships were selected from over 100 expressions of interest (86 African and 15 European), with partnerships selected from a pool of 31 shortlisted organisations comprising 20 from Africa and 11 from Europe, representing sectors such as ICT, agribusiness, green innovation, and women’s entrepreneurship.

At AAG 2025, five Twinning pairs met physically for the first time, marking a key milestone in strengthening their partnerships. Among these were:

• She Leads Africa (Nigeria) and Tech-Park Kaunas (Lithuania), promoting women’s leadership in innovation.
• Innov8 Hub (Nigeria) and Start2 Group GmbH (Germany), supporting research-to-market pathways.
• Zixtech Hub (Cameroon) and FUNDECYT-PCTEX (Spain), advancing agribusiness and climate-smart innovation.
• Duapa Werkspace (Ghana) and Fabbrica Italiana dell’Innovazione (Italy), encouraging rural innovation and sustainability.

These partnerships demonstrate AEIP’s vision of pairing complementary expertise to enable long-term collaboration and shared market access between Africa and Europe.

Key insights and reflections

Through dialogues and peer-learning sessions, AEIP’s participation at AAG 2025 highlighted several key lessons. Visibility drives momentum, as showcasing the Twinning Programme on a continental platform increased recognition and inspired new partnerships. Flexibility sustains engagement by allowing partners to adapt their pairings and maintain ownership. Language inclusivity remains essential, ensuring balanced participation across Francophone, Lusophone, and Anglophone regions.

Looking ahead

Following the Gathering, AEIP is focusing on operationalising the Twinning partnerships. Each pair will finalise its joint workplan by December 2025, followed by bi-monthly knowledge exchange sessions beginning in January 2026. Between February and May 2026, selected pairs will pilot small collaborative projects, such as joint training modules, policy research briefs, and innovation showcases.

The results of these collaborations will be documented in an AEIP Twinning Case Study Compendium, which will be presented at the AEIP event in June 2026. This compendium will feature replicable models of Africa–Europe innovation partnerships that contribute to sustainable growth and inclusive development.

Baluku Dounnah, AfriLabs Senior Programmes Officer

With renewed enthusiasm and growing visibility, AEIP continues to strengthen the bridge between Africa and Europe, advancing a shared vision of inclusive, sustainable, and impactful innovation.

If you are a hub, policymaker, investor, or development partner interested in joining the Twinning Initiative, click the link below. Together, we can turn Africa’s innovation potential into practical progress.