African Futures Fund by Jessica Berlin, Germany (ADEL 2017)

June 25, 0021

African Futures evolved from a conference to a digital platform and fund that helped impact-driven entrepreneurs and secure the funding and partnerships they need to scale their businesses across the continent. African Futures goal is to help turn national level sustainable business success stories into continental successes, and continental successes into global companies. African Futures was able to attract outstanding talent, and make waves in the African entrepreneurship and tech innovation scene. About Jessica: Jessica Berlin is the founder and managing director of CoStruct, a strategy consultancy working at the intersection of business, technology, and economic development. CoStruct consults public, private, and nonprofit organizations on innovation strategy, program design for tech and entrepreneurship initiatives, and market entry in emerging and frontier markets. An international policy expert turned entrepreneur, Jessica's passion for advancing sustainable business and tech solutions stems from her prior work in security, foreign policy, and development aid. She has lived and worked in Afghanistan, China, Germany, Myanmar, Rwanda, the UK, and the US. Her crosscutting experience gives her unique insight into the challenges and opportunities of building international partnerships to address interconnected global challenges. In addition to founding CoStruct, Jessica is co-founder of MakerNet, an international consortium fostering networked local manufacture and digital design; BerLink, a business consortium linking the Berlin tech ecosystem to emerging innovation ecosystems in other countries; and Die Brückenbauer, a nonprofit initiative scaling economic and cultural inclusion programs to underprivileged communities in Germany. She holds an M.Sc. in Political Economy of Emerging Markets from King's College London and a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University.

MOINS

Speakers
Jessica Berlin
Founder and Managing Director, CoStruct (Emerging Leader)
...

RELATED CONTENT

  • August 26, 2022
    In a conversation with Helmut Sorge, Columnist at the Policy Center for the New South, the Founder of the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation, and Atlantic Dial ...
  • Authors
    August 26, 2022
    Si l’Afrique est de nos jours convoitée par de nombreux acteurs (Turquie, Chine, Russie, etc..), le Japon y renforce et diversifie sa présence. Deuxième contributeur de la Banque africaine de développement (BAD), le pays du « soleil levant » s’implante en Afrique centrale, du Nord et de l’Est, avec un focus sur le domaine technique avec des objectifs très précis (nouvelles technologies, sécurité alimentaire, infrastructures). C’est cependant un partenaire qui privilégie la discrétio ...
  • August 19, 2022
    Despite some exceptions such as Rwanda, Morocco and Tunisia to some extent, about 80% of Africa still has not learnt that being dependant on others is putting your population at risk, acc ...
  • Authors
    August 18, 2022
    On the evening of August 15, the Kenyan Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared William Ruto, the vice-president of the outgoing government, as winner of the presidential race. The announcement was not made in a situation of calm, as political unrest and turbulence erupted a few moments before Wafula Chebukati, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, announced the winner’s name. For the first time since it was established by the Constitution in 2011, the me ...
  • Authors
    August 17, 2022
    In May 2021, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) report Net Zero by 2050 stated that there is no need for new investments in oil and gas fields in their net zero pathway[1]. The message was clear: place your next investments in clean energy sources and energy efficiency. However, the IEA’s Africa Energy Outlook 2022 stated that Africa’s industrialisation relies in expanding the use of natural gas[2]. Even the IEA executive director Fatih Birol said, “if we make a list of the top ...
  • Authors
    August 15, 2022
    Kenyans headed to the polls on August 9 to elect their fifth president, along with county governors, members of the Senate, and National Assembly representatives. The elections took place in a context of growing challenges of rising commodity prices, and the recent developments over the maritime dispute in which the International Court of Justice ruled in favor of Somalia. The presidential race between William Ruto—former deputy minister in the past government—and Raila Odinga, the ...
  • Authors
    August 11, 2022
    Le rôle de la Cedeao (Communauté économique des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest) dans la gestion des conflits ayant eu lieu à la fin du 20ème siècle et au début du 21ème siècle revêt une importance capitale. Dès sa création, l’organisation régionale représentait le symbole de l’avancement démocratique dans ses pays membres mais elle doit aujourd’hui faire face à un recul en termes de gouvernance démocratique et d’influence. Elle s’est imposée comme étant la plus av ...
  • Authors
    August 10, 2022
    Les énergies fossiles (pétrole, charbon, gaz naturel) ne sont plus à la mode, compte tenu de leur très importante responsabilité dans le changement climatique. Les appels en vue de leur disparition (progressive) se multiplient mais ces combustibles représentent encore un peu plus de 80 % de la consommation mondiale d’énergie primaire (83 % en 2021, selon la BP Statistical Review of World Energy). Et de nombreux projets sont en cours de développement à travers le monde. En Afrique, l ...