AfriConEU is the first Trans-Continental Networking Academy connecting Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) across Africa and Europe to advance digital entrepreneurship, capacity building, and cross-border collaboration. Funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020, the project brought together 11 partner organisations from both continents to design and implement inclusive programmes for innovation ecosystems in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, and Tanzania.
At its core, AfriConEU sought to empower African DIHs to take the lead in driving digital transformation within their local communities, while enabling meaningful cooperation with European hubs through knowledge exchange, joint programme development, and policy dialogue.
HapaSpace’s Role in Ghana
As the official implementation partner in Ghana, HapaSpace Innovation Hub played a critical role in delivering AfriConEU’s vision locally. We led community outreach and capacity-building efforts, engaging Ghanaian startups, innovation actors, and ecosystem stakeholders. Our activities included:
- Hosting the Design Thinking Bootcamp in Kumasi, where entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders collaborated to solve local innovation challenges.
- Facilitating capacity-building sessions tailored to the needs of Ghanaian DIHs, with a focus on digital skills, sustainability, and programme design.
- Contributing to the development of the AfriConEU Toolkit and supporting the co-creation of cross-border learning resources.
- Representing Ghana in policy dialogues and international collaboration forums, sharing insights on inclusive entrepreneurship, ecosystem gaps, and digital transformation strategies.
Through these activities, HapaSpace helped bridge global innovation frameworks with local needs—ensuring Ghanaian voices, innovations, and challenges were visible in the broader EU–Africa dialogue.
Key Achievements of AfriConEU
- Over 2,200 entrepreneurs and startups supported
- 4 African DIHs capacitated (Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania)
- Reached more than 8,000 online stakeholders
- Produced a Blueprint for Transcontinental DIH Collaboration
- Recognised with the .eu Web Award and as a SEADE Research & Innovation Success Story
Project Partners
- INOVA+ Innovation Services S.A. – Portugal
- Emerging Communities Africa – Nigeria
- Youthmakers Hub – Greece
- Porto Business School – Portugal
- Outbox – Uganda
- Dpixel – Italy
- Stimmuli for Social Change – Greece
- ITC – Slovenia
- Buni Innovation Hub – Tanzania
- Africa Technology Business Network (ATBN) – United Kingdom
- HapaSpace – Ghana
Our Legacy
Though AfriConEU officially concluded in January 2024, its resources—toolkits, masterclasses, and policy recommendations—remain accessible for ongoing use. At HapaSpace, we continue to integrate these resources into our own programmes, extending the project’s impact while building new pathways for collaboration between Ghana and global innovation actors.
AfriConEU demonstrated that strategic partnerships, when grounded in local context and inclusive values, can spark lasting change. For HapaSpace, it affirmed our role as a trusted facilitator of innovation, knowledge exchange, and digital transformation on the African continent.
