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Igniting Innovation: BAF Alumni shine at the Industry Innovation Lab Workshop

  • ADN

At African Diaspora Network (ADN), we are committed to fostering a vibrant interconnected ecosystem across Africa and the communities in which the diaspora lives. A cornerstone of this commitment is our collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University-Africa (CMU-Africa), which continues to open doors for our talented alumni.

This year, ADN was proud to recommend a Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) alumnus for coveted spots at CMU-Africa’s Industry Innovation Lab Workshop. Their participation highlights the invaluable opportunities to ADN’s accelerator’s program graduates, extending beyond their completion of our programs.

CMU-Africa’s Industry Innovation Lab Workshop

Grace’s experience:

Grace Nakibaala, BAF 2023 alumnus and the mind behind InnovAsepsis- a company dedicated to creating local solutions for infection prevention- shared her invigorating experience at the workshop.

“The workshop focused on creating solutions for challenges presented by businesses in Rwanda focusing on defining the problem right through stakeholder engagement,” Grace explained. “Problem defining tools were introduced and solution development tools for use during the workshop that I hope to adopt in my work as an innovator but also as an ecosystem actor.”
Grace particularly valued the collaborative environment the workshop provided, highlighting the diverse skills of her fellow innovators. “My group had very skilled IT innovators with extensive understanding and use of AI. I was amazed at how they put their skills in action in design of the solution and preparation of the presentation.” She added “One key quote that stood out for me that I am reflecting on is, ‘ If I were given an hour to save the planet, I would spend 59minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it….’ This reminded me about the importance of spending time getting the problem right as a key to getting the solution right.”
For Grace, the workshop wasn’t just about gaining new knowledge, it was about the immediate application. She plans to integrate the problem defining tools into her innovations and collaborate with the response Innovation Lab team in Uganda to explore their adoption in humanity response.

A Launchpad for African Entrepreneurs:

Maria Mayanja, Entrepreneurship Program Manager at CMU-Africa emphasized the workshop impact:

Maria Mayanja

“The Product Innovation Workshop is more than a learning experience. It is a launchpad for African entrepreneurs to turn bold ideas into impactful solutions. Seeing participants from across the continent collaborate, prototype, and pitch real-world innovations reminds us of the immense potential within Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. We are proud to collaborate with organizations like the Africa Diaspora Network to extend this opportunity to even more changemakers.”

Stanley Mukasa, Associate Director of Entrepreneurship at CMU-Africa echoed this sentiment, highlighting the synergy of the partnership:
Stanley Mukasa

“Welcoming participants nominated by the Africa Diaspora Network added a powerful dimension to the Product Innovation Workshop. Their presence enriched the diversity of perspectives and helped forge meaningful connections across borders. This kind of pan-African collaboration is exactly what we need to build a thriving, interconnected innovation ecosystem that reflects the continent’s shared aspirations and collective ingenuity. We look forward to enhancing our collaborative impact going forward.”

Continued Opportunities of ADN Alumni

Our partnership with CMU-Africa is just one example of how ADN strives to continue to provide meaningful support and access to resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities for ADN entrepreneurs.
As Grace advises to aspiring entrepreneurs, “This is an opportunity to have a robust experience of an innovation journey with real problems to solve an opportunity for the solution to be adopted. Imagine an opportunity to go through part of all your innovation journey in just 4days!”
We remain dedicated to fostering an environment where innovation thrives and African, African diaspora and descendants of African entrepreneurs can turn their bold ideas into impactful solutions.

We hope you will join us on August 27 for the 2025 BAF Pitch Day where you will get first hand opportunity to be exposed to 20 visionary entrepreneurs from across the continent and the profound impact  they are creating in Africa. Save your spot here.

Your generous contributions allow us to continue supporting entrepreneurs long after they have completed their program with us. Click here to donate to the African Diaspora Network and amplify our impact.  

 
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