i-SPARK is a project developed by Numeris Media, a pan-African storytelling platform dedicated to spotlighting the people, policies, and projects shaping Africa’s economic future.
The i-SPARK team will travel across all of Africa’s 54 countries, uncovering and documenting grassroots innovation, startup success stories, and the unsung entrepreneurs fueling local economies. The objective is to spark interest in Africa’s products, goods and services, and trade opportunities.
We will let each country showcase its strengths by sector – featuring 05 startups and SMEs that make up the nation’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
We want to work with countries to attract investment, tourism, and showcase development – while objectively highlighting both challenges and opportunities.
i-SPARK will be the first cohesive, continent-wide chronicle of Africa’s startup and entrepreneur scene, breaking the current narrative silos, and breaking away from the single
story of Africa as a continent of problems (as opposed to massive potential).
As we travel along, we will pin country video clips to a virtual map of Africa, watchable by the whole world.
The i-SPARK expedition will seek to align with Africa’s goals of fostering intra-continental trade, private-sector growth, attracting global interest in local innovation, and making “Proudly Made-in-Africa” the universal slogan to beat.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
At the end of the expedition, a large percentage of any sponsorship proceeds will go towards fortifying the Numeris Media MoJo Academy, which trains females from disadvantaged communities to become Mobile Journalists (MoJos). MoJos tell important stories emanating from their communities — using just their trusted mobile phone as equipment.
OUR PEDIGREE
Numeris Media founder, Anne N. Agbakoba, has embarked on a similar tour, tagged Solar4TheMasses – a 37-state road trip across every state in Nigeria to introduce basic (but functional) solar lighting to Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) operating in electricity-poor rural areas. The project was executed in 17 consecutive days of driving. In each state, David Agbakoba (Founder, Solar Jooce) – accompanied by Anne – presented the PHCs with a sturdy, combined solar lamp & phone charging unit. The portable units enabled staff perform crucial medical procedures in rooms previously lit by candles, small kerosene contraptions, and mobile phones. Solar4TheMasses was captured by CNN as an exemplary project for widely spreading the benefits of Renewable Energy, and encouraging its adoption.
▶ We are delighted to count Meryanne Loum-Martin, visionary founder of Jnane Tamsna, among our ranks as Cultural Advisor and Global Ambassador to i-SPARK