Strategic Collaboration to Scale Africa's Digital Economy
Itana, a pioneering digital free zone dedicated to accelerating Africa’s digital economy, has announced a strategic partnership with Accelerate Africa, an accelerator program focused on supporting early-stage African entrepreneurs. This collaboration is set to provide vital resources, networks, and hands-on support to help emerging businesses scale and solve critical challenges across the continent.
Empowering Startups with Digital Infrastructure and Support
As part of this partnership, Itana will offer direct support to startups in the Accelerate Africa program by helping them register their businesses within the Itana Zone. This registration provides companies with access to the many benefits of Itana’s cutting-edge digital infrastructure, regulatory assistance, and a supportive community—equipping them with a competitive edge in their respective markets.
Accelerating Growth: The 8-Week Program
The Accelerate Africa program is designed to fast-track founders who are solving real-world challenges with global solutions. The program runs for eight weeks and aims to help these entrepreneurs achieve $1 million in revenue within 12 to 18 months after completion. The initiative provides 1:1 advisory support from group partners experienced in building businesses across Africa, alongside fireside chats with industry leaders who share their entrepreneurial journeys.
Workshops are a core feature of the program, with a focus on key areas that early-stage founders often struggle with, such as storytelling, team development, go-to-market strategies, product development, and fundraising. The program concludes with a highly anticipated demo day, where a network of angel investors and venture capitalists participate in funding the most promising startups.
A Joint Effort to Build Scalable Businesses
By combining Itana’s digital resources and Accelerate Africa’s robust mentorship framework, the partnership aims to build scalable businesses that can operate both across Africa and globally. One of the key backers of this collaboration is the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), which will provide essential financial support to ensure these startups have the resources they need to achieve their growth targets. AFC’s involvement adds an extra layer of credibility and support to the initiative, enhancing its potential to drive significant change in Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Itana CEO on Empowering African Entrepreneurs
“Itana’s partnership with Accelerate Africa is a major step forward in our mission to empower African entrepreneurs,” said Luqman Edu, CEO of Itana. “By offering these startups direct access to Itana’s platform and resources, we’re giving them a significant competitive advantage to scale their businesses more effectively.”
A Seamless Digital Experience with Itana App
In addition to its collaboration with Accelerate Africa, Itana has launched the Itana App (app.itana.africa), a platform designed to simplify the business registration and operation process within the Itana Free Zone. This app enables companies to seamlessly access the jurisdiction’s benefits and operate efficiently within the digital zone.
Upcoming Second Cohort of Startups
The second cohort of startups participating in the Accelerate Africa program will begin on September 30th and run for eight weeks, concluding with a demo day on November 23rd in Nairobi, Kenya. Applications for this exciting program are now open to early-stage entrepreneurs (www.acceler8.africa).
