8 November 2007
| Maputo, Mozambique
infoDev and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) are partnering to explore the design and implementation of effective business incubator models in developing countries, including Mozambique
This work builds on infoDev’s Business Incubator Initiative, which provides financial and technical assistance to more than 70 business incubators in over 50 developing countries worldwide, as well as the IFC’s experience in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Earlier this year, infoDev and the IFC commissioned a feasibility study to assess the market opportunity for an ICT center and business incubator in Maputo. infoDev and IFC selected Mr. Mark Davies, the Founder of BusyInternet in Ghana, which is a pioneering model for business incubation, as the consultant for this assignment. Drawing on his experience in Ghana and on other incubator models in Africa, Mr. Davies has developed a detailed feasibility study and business plan for Maputo. The lessons learned from this feasibility study will be pulled together into an Incubator Handbook, which will be published on iDISC shortly.
On November 27th, infoDev and IFC are jointly organizing a stakeholder meeting to present the results of this work to facilitate the process of making this feasibility study a reality. The stakeholder meeting will be structured in two sessions, and opened by the Minister of Science and Technology of Mozambique, H.E. Dr. Venancio Massingue. The first session will focus on the presentation and discussion of the results from the study, which will take place in the morning. After lunch, the second session will focus on identifying investors and the resources required in order to move the project forward.
Participation in this meeting is by invitation only. Outcomes of the event, as well as meeting materials, will be posted here after the meeting.