Accelerating solutions to Africa's challenges
AfOx Innovation Platform
We work with African innovators to co-develop solutions for Africa’s biggest challenges
The Africa Oxford (AfOx) Innovation Platform links African talent for innovation and entrepreneurship, based on the continent, with technical expertise from across the University of Oxford and with partners in industry, to address high priority challenges in Africa.
Addressing challenges through impact innovation & entrepreneurship
The Innovation Platform, as part of the Africa Oxford Initiative, promotes long-term, equitable collaborations between researchers and innovators based in Africa and at the University of Oxford. Together, we work to advance knowledge and innovation to tackle global challenges across the Sustainable Development Goals, improving livelihoods and safeguarding our future.
Across Africa, the innovation focus tends to be on market-place solutions such as e-commerce and fintech (areas with relatively quick turnarounds from idea to prototype, MVP/market traction and scaling). While such solutions are critical in creating and sustaining value, software alone cannot solve the challenge of structural transformation that is much needed in Africa. Deep-science based solutions to challenges in health, agriculture, and renewable energy that are generated by African innovators have a critical role to play in driving Africa's sustainable futures.
"One of the most striking aspects is the spontaneity with which our African innovators have created a truly unique microcosm of an innovation ecosystem for knowledge creation and integration. They are using their multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional expertise for co-creating knowledge and peer-to-peer learning. The fact that all this is grounded in practical experiences of the contexts that their solutions are targeting makes the whole experience particularly meaningful and potent."
Dr Watu Wamae, Head of Innovation at AfOx
By connecting and supporting innovators making a difference in their communities, we can build a network with the power to change the world for the better
Wariara Waireri, Senior Manager International Development, Royal Academy of EngineeringWe provide access to a vibrant innovation and entrepreneurship culture and resources at a world leading university in knowledge exchange, innovation, and entrepreneurship and in so doing contribute in unique and important ways to nurturing early-stage ventures. This approach is central to creating opportunities for pre-seed high growth start-ups and massively scalable, seed-stage science and technology ventures.
We link African talent with technical expertise across the University of Oxford and with partners in industry, to address high priority challenges in Africa. In doing so, we facilitate their interactions with partners across Oxford to help their ideas come to life, turning their ventures into high growth start-ups with real impact.
Building a strong network of African entrepreneurial innovators in deep science is high priority. It is central to creating the momentum required for structural change, which cannot be achieved through unconnected individual innovators.
Vibrant innovation and entrepreneurship culture
Africa has tremendous talent in innovation and entrepreneurship; there is no shortage of new ideas or technology-led solutions. However, many initiatives fail to progress because of the complex hurdles between prototype and the market, and the misalignment of focus between the technological solution and the problem. The growing talent in innovation and entrepreneurship has significant potential for transformative impact across Africa and the world.
AfOx identifies outstanding, emerging African researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators, who are proposing new solutions to tackle world-scale challenges to achieve a more equitable and prosperous future. We work across all 54 African countries and have connected over 80 African innovators from across the continent since 2021.
AfOx Innovation platform is a collaboration with key partners including:
- Science for Africa Foundation
- The Royal Academy of Engineering
- The Institute of Biomedical Engineering
- Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
- TORCH
- Said Business School Africa Initiative
- Reuben College, Oxford
This platform gave me access to a community of active learners with research and evidence-based experience that catalysed my learning and transformed me
Our flagship Programme
The Africa Oxford Health Innovation Platform (AfOx-HIP) is our flagship programme. It supports African innovators to develop solutions to Africa's health challenges. Africa Oxford Health Innovation Platform (AfOx-HIP) helps ideas come to life as real solutions by upskilling African entrepreneurs and giving them the tools they need to address the Africa’s biggest healthcare challenges.
We work with African innovators who are developing solutions to prevent, diagnose and treat disease through innovation, creative problem solving, translational research, entrepreneurship, impact investment and venture acceleration.
Applications for the AfOx Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship Scheme 2024 have now open.