Following the successful inaugural West African Startups Awards in Niamey, Niger, in 2021, the Directorate of Private Sector of the ECOWAS Commission is holding a preparatory meeting from June 3 to 5, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria. This follows the directive of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to hold the awards annually.
While welcoming participants on behalf of Mrs. Massandjé Toure-Litse, Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dr. Tony Elumelu, Acting Director of Private Sector of the ECOWAS Commission, highlighted that the Startup Awards ignite innovation, collaboration, and digital entrepreneurship across the West African region.
Dr. Elumelu added that “the vision is to create an ecosystem where startups thrive, ideas find fertile ground, and collaboration transcends borders.”
The ECOWAS Commission, in partnership with other stakeholders within the framework of promoting digital entrepreneurship in the ECOWAS region, organized the first West Africa Startups Summit in Niamey from November 18 to 20, 2021. Fifty-five contestants participated in the competition from eleven ECOWAS member states. They were awarded prizes in different categories with the top three earning USD 30,000; USD 25,000; and USD 15,000 respectively.
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