News
Digital Energy Challenge: innovative projects paving the way for Africa’s energy transition
With 600 million Africans lacking access to electricity, the continent’s energy transition is a critical issue. To help tackle this problem, in 2020, AFD launched the Digital Energy Challenge in partn...
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Finding Innovative Development Solutions in North Africa
Some entrepreneurs sought to fight pollution; for others the goal was to promote inclusion. In their own ways, they have all taken action. The four winners of North Africa’s first call for proposals i...
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Civil Society Organizations and AFD: an Evolving Partnership
At a geopolitically and environmentally unstable time with the eruption of countless crises, cooperation between AFD and civil society organizations (CSOs) is more important than ever. CSOs have becom...
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More Rwandan Public Services are going Digital with the support of AFD
Paper records and old computer networks in the health, education and environment sectors often make even the most basic transactions difficult and can prevent systems from operating efficiently. Digit...
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The DIRECCT program: Digitizing Health, Education and Business to Provide a Shield from Shocks
The DIRECCT program works in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to support connectivity and digitization in the healthcare, education and small-business sectors. It helps these sectors bet...
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AFD Digital Energy Challenge: Boosting Energy Access across Africa through Innovation
The Digital Energy Challenge has awarded 10 start-ups and utility companies for coming up with some of the most innovative approaches to providing electricity in Africa. From “mini-grids” connecting o...
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Kheira Benaissa, The Woman Transforming Organic Waste into Biogas
As part of its “Shared Innovation” series, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is showcasing innovative programs that have been developed in its partner countries. Kheira Benaissa, head of the...
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These 6 Winners of the Emerging Mediterranean Digital Talk to Drive Positive Innovation in the Mediterranean
The Emerging Mediterranean “Digital Talk” competition, a program that supports start-ups to develop positive innovation in Mediterranean countries, has just announced its list of winners. It is a driv...
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Winners of AFD’s Digital Challenge: 2021 Edition
Since 2016, AFD Digital Challenge has rewarded the most innovative African start-ups and research teams working with digital technology and the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa. After five year...
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A Smart App for Sustainable Fishing in Mexico
As part of our “Shared Innovation” series, AFD is highlighting innovative programs created or developed in our partner countries. The Mexican NGO Cobi and local fishers have developed a new smart p...
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Data4Covid19: Awards for Open Data Champions
With the onset of the global Covid pandemic, scientists and researchers set out to find solutions to the health crisis not only in the West, but across Africa as well. Experts examined human behavior...
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AFD Digital Energy Challenge: 8 projects recognized for innovation in the Energy sector
The Digital Energy Challenge launched by AFD is one of the four pillars of the Digital Energy Facility, a program financed by the European Commission and implemented by AFD. The challenge awards proje...
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Women Entrepreneurs in Africa Take on the Digital Industry
In the series “Shared Innovation,” AFD highlights innovative programs encouraged, created, or developed in our partner countries. Matina Razafimahefa from Madagascar and Nelly Chatue-Diop from Came...
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Digital Africa: Seed Funds for Start-ups
As part of its "shared innovation" series, AFD highlights innovative programs that have been created, developed or encouraged in its partner countries. Six partners with expertise in supporting inn...
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The Meriem Project: Driving Business Innovation in the Fight Against Malnutrition in the Sahel
With its “Shared Innovation” series, AFD highlights novel programs created or developed in our partner countries. In Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, seven local food producers receive support from Agenc...
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7 Innovative Projects using Data to Combat Covid-19
AFD's “Shared Innovation” series highlights innovative programs created or developed in our partner countries. AFD, Expertise France and The GovLab have launched call for projects that will use dat...
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Gabon: Using DNA to Hunt Poachers
In our series on “Shared Innovation”, AFD highlights innovative programs devised and developed in our partner countries. Poaching poses a major threat to the survival of numerous species – many of...
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The Fund for Innovation in Development Launches its First Call for Projects
It’s part of a new initiative to revamp France’s approach to development. Chaired by Nobel laureate Esther Duflo, the Fund for Innovation in Development is hosted by AFD. Its purpose is to stimulate,...
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Made in Cameroon: Specially Designed Incubators for premature babies
In our series on “Shared Innovation”, AFD highlights innovative programs devised and developed in our partner countries. At his "fablab" or fabrication laboratory called “AUI-Techno,” Serge Armel N...
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"MobiliseYourCity": Climate financing for sustainable urban mobility in South Asia
AFD’s “Shared Innovation” series highlights innovative programs created or developed in our partner countries. The transportation sector accounts for 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet rec...
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