Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently participated in the Africa Tech Summit 2020 in Kigali, Rwanda, where the organisation launched the second cycle of its GBF Mentorship Programme, which pairs innovative UAE and African startups with mentors who can provide them with valuable expertise, support and guidance.

Over 250 participants visited Dubai Chamber’s stand at the summit where they learned about the criteria for participating in the programme and the various benefits and opportunities it offers to startups and mentors, while African startups and mentors submitted their applications for the second cycle of the programme.

The first phase of the programme aims to foster cooperation between UAE and African entrepreneurs and create a framework for a holistic mentorship programme designed to help selected startups develop their businesses and access global growth opportunities.

The second phase will see the selection of several expert mentors who will be matched with startups who require support in key areas where they can offer their specialised expertise.

The programme will culminate at the 6^th Global Business Forum Africa, taking place at Expo 2020 Dubai. At the upcoming forum, participating startups will get an opportunity to exhibit, participate in panel discussions and pitch to potential investors.

The GBF Mentorship Programme was the key focus on a panel discussion at the Africa Tech Summit 2020, which was joined by Layla Derraz, GBF Africa Project Director, Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Chris Folayan, Founder & CEO, Mall for Africa, Nigeria; and David Irakoze, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Engineering Hub, Rwanda, who highlighted the programme’s achievements and success stories.

“This unique programme has created far-reaching benefits for participants that go beyond mentorship and we have seen first-hand how it has brought entrepreneurial communities together and identified key areas of synergy that we can build on in the future,” said Derraz.

She said the programme, launched as an extension of Dubai Chamber’s Global Business Forum platform, has garnered strong interest and participation from startups from the UAE and Africa that are keen to go beyond borders and scale their businesses, adding that the initiative also positions Dubai as global innovation hub and preferred destination for promising startups.

Startups and mentors who are interested in participating in the second cycle of the GBF Mentorship Programme can register their interest by sending an email to GBFMentorship@Dubaichamber.com

The Africa Tech Summit 2020, held February 4^th-6^th in Kigali, brought together more than 600 delegates and 150 expert speakers, including startups, investors and business leaders from Africa and other countries who are interested in opportunities emerging across the continent.