By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Gabon’s Ministry of Digital
Economy, Digitalisation and Innovation has revised the schedule for the KIMBA
Connect startup programme to give participating entrepreneurs additional
opportunities to present their solutions and strengthen engagement with private-sector
partners.
The decision was reached
during a meeting on Tuesday, August 11, at the Gabonese Centre for Innovation,
bringing together pre-selected startups and members of the KIMBA Connect jury.
The meeting reviewed the
outcome of the programme’s first pre-selection phase and provided an
opportunity for stakeholders to assess the process and agree on a revised
timetable for evaluating participating startups.
Under the new schedule,
startups that have not yet pitched will have between August 12 and 17 to
prepare, while startups that require another opportunity to present their
solutions will also be allowed to do so.
Auditions for startups
participating in the SETRAG, Moov Africa and KIMBA challenges are scheduled for
the week of August 18, followed by auditions for the Financia and HCI
challenges during the week of August 24.
The final of KIMBA Connect
has been postponed to late September or early October 2026 to allow the
selection process to be completed effectively.
The programme has continued
to attract significant interest from Gabon’s startup ecosystem. According to
the Ministry, 155 startups have registered on the platform, with 133 submitting
applications across 16 challenges. A total of 66 startups were selected during
the first phase.
KIMBA Connect currently has
three partner companies, five institutional partners and 35 registered
companies participating in the initiative.
The programme is designed to
create stronger links between Gabonese startups and the private sector by
connecting corporate transformation needs with locally developed digital
solutions.
The Ministry said the
initiative forms part of its broader efforts to establish a sustainable
innovation ecosystem that promotes market access, supports entrepreneurship and
accelerates the development of digital solutions designed in Gabon.
