KAAIA Austria Experience (September 2024)
The nine finalist ventures of the second edition of the Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa (KAAIA) were invited to Austria for the highlight of this year’s edition – the KAAIA Austria Experience. Over the course of three days, the ventures had the chance to connect to the Austrian Innovation Ecosystem in various formats, experiences and locations featuring Austrian and European changemakers from diverse backgrounds: politics, research, NGOs, business, social partners – you name it! All in the name of making a tangible contribution to a new partnership of equals between Africa and Austria, advancing SDG 2 – Zero Hunger - and celebrating African innovations!
The Ecosystem Networking Workshop
The KAAIA finalists safely arrived in Austria from various African countries and were ready to go, when the “KAAIA 2024 Ecosystem Networking Workshop” kicked off in the morning of September 3 at the Impact Hub Vienna. The invited guests from business, science, social partners and NGOs were either involved in agri-tech, food security or partnerships for Africa. The centrepiece of the workshop were the breakout sessions, which covered various topics the KAAIA and SDG 2 Zero Hunger, being this year’s focus, are particularly concerned with:
- SDG 2 & Gender
- Farmer Resilience
- Innovative Funding Strategies
- Innovation Beyond Connectivity
- Scaling Strategies
- Connecting Continents: Africa-Europe-Austria
- Future of Farming with Emerging Technologies
- Community-led & Locally-owned Initiatives
All of the sessions were supervised by at least one KAAIA finalist, ensuring ample opportunity for Austrian changemakers to engage with the ventures – and vice versa! Of course, it wasn’t possible to take part in all topical discussions but the subsequent “Reporting of the Sessions” as well as the “Networking Lunch” offered the possibility for all KAAIA finalists and Austrian attendees to connect.
The Ecosystem Visit
Brimming with new insights, the KAAIA finalists hopped on a bus that took them to Wieselburg (Lower Austria), where they visited the Innovation Farm of the Federal Institute of Education and Research, the Francisco Josephinum. There, three Austrian agri-tech start-ups pitched their innovative ideas. Then the attendants visited several stations providing practical insights into the research, agri-tech start-ups and teachings at Francisco Josephinum. The finale of the first day of the KAAIA Austria Experience took place at Weinzierl Castle. The "Community Dinner" in the historical building offered time to relax, reflect and celebrate.
Links
The High-Level Award Ceremony
The second day of the KAAIA Austria Experience was dedicated to this edition’s High-level Award Ceremony on the premises of the Hofburg in the centre of Vienna. The ceremony was opened by a video message of the World Food Programme’s Executive Director Cindy McCain, a keynote by the Director General of the United Nation’s Office in Vienna Ghada Fathi Waly and a speech by Austria’s Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution Karoline Edtstadler, who is also responsible for coordinating the SDG-implementation in Austria. High-ranking representatives with deep connections to both Austria and Africa from business, science, the social partnership, NGOs and embassies followed the inspiring pitches of all nine finalist teams. The honourable members of the KAAIA 2024 High-Level Board of Advisors and Jury provided insightful thematic introductions to the concrete challenges the finalists want to disrupt with their innovations.
Finally the moment we have all been waiting for: Minister Edtstadler and the head of the WFP Innovation Accelerator Bernhard Kowatsch awarded the three winning and six finalist teams. After the award ceremony, the African start-ups were available for in-depth discussions at the Marketplace during the festive reception.
Watch the High-level Award Ceremony on Youtube.
The Breakfast at the Austrian Federal Chancellery
After the exciting award ceremony day, the Austrian Federal Chancellery invited the finalists as well as the members of the High Level Board of Advisors and Jury and KAAIA partner organisations to a convivial closing breakfast. The Special Envoy for Global Affairs Peter Launsky welcomed the guests, honoured their projects and expressed his hope to welcome them back to Austria in the future. The following informal conversations made for the perfect setting for the KAAIA finalists to reflect on their journey thus far and how the experiences of the last few days will impact their businesses. A tour around the historical rooms of the Austrian Cabinet hosted by Special Envoy Launsky himself provided a fitting conclusion to the breakfast at the Federal Chancellery and the KAAIA Austria Experience as a whole.
Kick-off to the Sprint Programme
The end of the KAAIA Austria Experience marked the beginning of the Sprint Phase: three winning teams have the opportunity to take part in a 12-month Sprint Programme run by the WFP Innovation Accelerator and invest € 250.000 of funding. Additionally, all nine finalist teams will benefit from international attention and a KAAIA support network, which includes various stakeholders who can support the teams on a voluntary basis (including on site if necessary). Stay tuned to hear more from the KAAIA finalist ventures. They are only at the beginning of their journey to scale their innovative solutions for Africa!
