Bissau, October 1, 2021 - Key players of Guinea-Bissau's entrepreneurship ecosystem came together on September 30 for a hybrid event on entrepreneurship and innovation, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with national and international partners.

The event marks the final stage of the public service entrepreneurship competition, launched in May by the UNDP Accelerator Lab in collaboration with Rádio Jovem, a local community radio station.

During the event, the three winners of the competition recounted their experience while UNDP Resident Representative Tjark Egenhoff and Rádio Jovem Managing Director Lassana Fati awarded them with the certificates of recognition.

"I am grateful for the mentoring during these three months. The mentors had all the patience, gave brilliant ideas that can be useful for my business; the funding (provided by UNDP) will cover some important business expenses", said Jackline Martins, third place winner of the competition and owner of Ambiental Multicolor, a recycled cartridge company.

In addition to the three-month mentoring program, the winners also received cash prizes to support their activities.

The contest in collaboration with Rádio Joven helped map more than 70 Bissau-Guinean male and female entrepreneurs, showing that there is potential in the country in terms of youth, job creation, and income generation.

"The entrepreneurship contest sends a signal to the Bissau-Guinean market that there are growth opportunities for innovators looking to turn their aspirations into reality, thus contributing to the future of innovation in the country", pointed out Rudolphe Cabral of Djassi Africa, one of the partners and mentors of the initiative.

UNDP, together with its network of local and international partners, is committed to establishing a space where all actors (entrepreneurs, innovators, inventors, private sector, government, universities, youth organizations, etc.) of the local entrepreneurship ecosystem can communicate, exchange experiences, and grow together. 

"Bissau-Guinean society has all the conditions for the creation of new solutions,'' UNDP Resident Representative Tjark Egenhoff said in the opening speech.

"We want to provide the tools and resources to help Bissau-Guineans collaborate, create, cooperate, and share knowledge leading to the development of the entrepreneurship ecosystem and, consequently, sustainable economic and social growth", he further said.

The entrepreneurs were invited to join Na Nô Mon, a virtual platform developed by UNDP that aims, together with the population, to identify problems and find solutions to the various issues affecting the Bissau-Guinean community.

The event, which counted with the collaboration and participation of Ianda Guiné Djuntu! European Union project, Djemberém, BueloJobs, National Agency for Youth Entrepreneurship, Fábrica de Startups Brazil, the World Bank, Innovalab, and Djassi Africa, demonstrated the importance of partnerships, investment in infrastructure and professional education, as well as the use of the potential of digital solutions to leverage entrepreneurship, including aspects related to the digital economy.