2011 Ink Fellows Program

THE INK CONFERENCE, in associated with TED, is an annual conference that aims to fuel innovation and foster knowledge by bringing together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers from a range of disciplines such as art, design, science, social entrepreneurship, sports and technology.

INK 2010 featured Speakers such as science educator and innovator Arvind Gupta, filmmaker James Cameron, founder of Wired magazine Kevin Kelly, design guru Philippe Starck, and anti-trafficking activist Sunitha Krishnan.

THE INK FELLOWS PROGRAM will recruit 20 young innovators to attend the INK 2011 Conference in Jaipur, India, December 8th – 11th, 2011.

For further information, visit http://bit.ly/pNVpwK

ONE Africa Award

The ONE Africa Award celebrates progress toward achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

ONE will recognize the Africa- driven, African led advocacy efforts that have demonstrated success at a community, national, or regional level. The $100,000 award will bring recognition to innovative African efforts to fight poverty and will incentivize more of such efforts (The award may be split into two prizes in order to award two smaller organizations better able to absorb a smaller monetary award.)

For further information, visit http://bit.ly/pBqvkW  

Doing Business in the East African Community 2011 Report

The East African Community is deepening and widening cooperation among its 5 member states. Spurred by the need to expand markets, boost competitiveness and attract investment, East African countries have continued to take steps to make it easier for local firms to start up and operate.

The main findings of the report are:

• Doing business has become easier in East Africa since 2005.
• Sharing good practices could bring East Africa closer to global top performers.
• If each East African country were to adopt the region’s best practice in each of the Doing Business indicators, the region’s average ranking on the ease of doing business would be 18 rather than 117.
• If the best of East African regulations and procedures were implemented across the board, the business regulatory environment in East Africa, as measured by Doing Business, would be comparable to that in Japan.
• EAC members are already seeking to learn from one another’s good reform practices through the World Bank Group-sponsored Network of Reformers initiative.

Read the  Doing Business in the East African Community 2011 Report here

KopiBure - An Innovative Student Advertising Business

KopiBure (the name is swahili for free copies) is an advertising company that deals with advertising in Universities, Colleges and other tertiary institutions of learning.


Kopibure manages photocopy machines on educational campuses. The business model works by using blank sides of paper that is left after students do their printing or photocopy on ordinary photocopy paper. Kopibure place adverts and messages that are relevant to this target market, at the back of those papers and the students use the front to do their printing and photocopy work.


Kopibure liaise with the many photocopy outlets in schools and come to an agreement where Kopibure can place a photocopy machine in their premises.

Read our interview with Kopibure’s founder Peter Nduru here: http://bit.ly/r0HPxo

Nature Challenge Africa

This is a business plan competition targeting entrepreneurs supporting green businesses in Kenya.

It is an initiative of WWF Kenya Country Office in collaboration with the National Environment Trust Fund. The goal of this challenge is to:

• Identify business models that have a positive and large impact on natural resources and nature conservation and
• Ensure access to (inter) national markets, technology and finance for the most viable business cases.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/poCpVd  

ISOC Community Grants

The Internet Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. It is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world.

The Internet Society will be accepting applications for the November 2011 round of the Community Grants Programme from 15th August to 16th September 2011. Award decisions will be made in mid-November.

The Community Grants Programme has been established to assist Internet Society chapters and members specifically in projects that will:

• Advance Internet Society's mission and goals specifically those aligned with ISOC Major Strategic Initiatives

• Serve the Chapters’ communities

• Nurture collaborative work among Chapters/Individual Members

• Enhance and utilize knowledge sharing in the global internet community and

• Encourage Chapters’ sustainability and relevance.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/pkX0iH

Funding for clean tech projects in Africa

On the 17th and 18th of October 2011 the Viridis Africa conference is to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa. The event is dedicated to the introduction of clean technologies and associated business/investment opportunities.

The intention of Viridis Africa is to bring together investors and entrepreneurs from Africa and rest of the world, to jointly explore commercial initiatives in green technologies.

The program includes presentation of specific projects or business initiatives, ranging in size and scope and encompassing most of the priority areas such as bioenergy, hydro, wind power, green chemistry, recycling, water treatment, desalination, amongst others.

For further information, visit http://bit.ly/qTiyJJ

Educating Africa Pan-African Awards for Entrepreneurship in Education 2011

For Africa to be able to be able to rise to the challenges of tomorrow, more and better education will be a key requirement - and not more of the same. This will require new and entrepreneurial models which can be replicated and taken to scale.

To support the best organizations developing such models Educating Africa and Teach A Man To Fish have launched the EDUCATING AFRICA Pan-African Awards for Entrepreneurship in Education 2011.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/nt5ZSY

Farm Africa Maendeleo Agricultural Enterprise Fund – Call for Concept Papers

Farm Africa’s Maendeleo Agricultural Enterprise Fund (MAEF) is seeking concept notes for its newly launched Competitive Value Chain Fund. MAEF aims to increase agricultural productivity in East Africa sustainably, generate income and lift rural households out of poverty and food insecurity.

For more information, visit  http://bit.ly/nGiEdn

Request for Expressions of Interest to Administer infoDev’s Business Incubation Training Program in Africa

infoDev is seeking a suitable organization from Africa to administer the implementation of infoDev’s training program for business incubator managers in Africa.

infoDev has developed a training program designed for business incubation managers and other business incubation stakeholders wishing to increase their understanding and know-how of the business incubation process. It consists of 11 training modules ranging from basic introductory topics to specialized ones, such as Technology Commercialization and Virtual Business Incubation Services.

For more information on this opportunity, visit http://www.yipekenya.org/Request for Expressions of Interest to Administer the Implementation of Business Incubation Training Program in Africa.htm

CNN Hero Award 2011

Can you think of or know an everyday person who has done something special to bring positive changes in the world? Would you like to share the story of that person with the whole world? 

If yes, nominate that special person as a CNN Hero. For further information, visit http://bit.ly/ocAugU

Orange African Social Venture Prize

The African Social Venture Prize will reward three projects or enterprises addressing needs of the bottom of the pyramid markets in Africa through technology.

The digital projects range from e-health and mobile banking to digital and mobile applications for education or agriculture. They therefore represent huge opportunities for social development.

For further information, visit http://bit.ly/nBmGpL

The Arthur B. Schultz Foundation grants

The Arthur B. Schultz Foundation (ABSF) makes international grants in two core areas: women’s empowerment and disabled mobility solutions. These grants are awarded exclusively to U.S. 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations or equivalent government-recognized nonprofit status for foreign grantees.

For further information on introducing your organisation visit http://bit.ly/rnnuYD

Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency Innovations Against Poverty (IAP) Program Call for Applications

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) works according to directives of the Swedish Parliament and Government to reduce poverty in the world. The overall goal of Swedish development cooperation is to contribute to making it possible for poor people to improve their living conditions.

Innovations Against Poverty (IAP) is an initiative by SIDA to support businesses to develop services, products and processes that will benefit people living in poverty. The IAP is designed for companies based in, or operating in a poor country.

For more information on this opportunity, visit http://www.yipekenya.org/Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)'s Innovations Against Poverty (IAP) Program Call for Applications.htm