Mali's tech hubs upgrade their skills
Tech hubs serve as incubators for innovative new businesses. But they need support themselves, to make sure their own operations are effective and financially stable.
In Mali, a landlocked nation that’s among the world’s least developed countries, the economy isn’t creating jobs fast enough to employ all its young people. That makes entrepreneurship even more important, to stimulate innovation, create jobs and diversify the economy. For young people and women, it offers the opportunity to take their destiny into their own hands and win financial independence.
Tech hubs are among the business support organizations (BSOs) that shore up crucial role in Mali’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. In late 2024, nine of them took part in an in-depth training programme with the International Trade Centre (ITC) to strengthen their technical and strategic skills.
For a more efficient and cooperative ecosystem
‘Unfortunately, in Mali, 90% (of small businesses) file for bankruptcy after five years,’ said Oumar Coulibaly, who heads business support services at Impact Hub Bamako. ‘Entrepreneurs have a crucial need for support, as they often attribute their difficulties to a lack of financing, whereas the problem frequently lies in gaps in their project’s structure. Incubators and acceleration centres are in the best position to help them.’
These organizations incubate innovative and competitive businesses, which stimulates sustainable growth in Mali. Their role is fundamental. Yet they face major challenges that hamper their effectiveness.
‘Tech hubs depend heavily on external funding. When the geopolitical situation works against them, all support programmes come to an abrupt halt. They also need to develop tools and methodologies that are better adapted to needs on the ground,’ Coulibaly said.
Nene Keita, founder of YeleenMa Consulting, also specializes in the growth of Malian start-ups.
‘To better serve companies, BSOs need to strengthen their expertise in growth strategy, female entrepreneurship and fund-raising. At the same time, they need to learn how to exchange, cooperate and pool their resources to build a strong ecosystem together.’
The training gave them just the opportunity to meet and establish an initial framework for exchange.
‘I'd like to see more workshops of this kind, and for the BSOs to be supported over the long term, so that they can converge in a common direction and devise offers together,’ adds Nene Keita. Discussions on how to do that are underway.
Provide better tools support Malian entrepreneurs
The NTF V FastTrackTech Mali Project rolled out the training, in partnership with Afric'Innov and the Conseil National des Structures d'Incubateurs au Mali (National Council of Incubator Structures of Mali – CNSIM),
The intensive workshop covered essential topics like business strategy, fund-raising, human resources management and leadership. Above all, the workshop enabled participants to familiarize themselves with SWOT analysis, an essential method for assessing a company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Each of the incubators carried out its own analysis. Oumar Coulibaly came away with a clearer vision of Impact Hub Bamako's position in its market.
Nene Keita, founder of YeleenMa Consulting, also specializes in the growth of Malian start-ups.
‘To better serve companies, BSOs need to strengthen their expertise in growth strategy, female entrepreneurship and fund-raising. At the same time, they need to learn how to exchange, cooperate and pool their resources to build a strong ecosystem together.’
The training gave them just the opportunity to meet and establish an initial framework for exchange.
‘I'd like to see more workshops of this kind, and for the BSOs to be supported over the long term, so that they can converge in a common direction and devise offers together,’ adds Nene Keita. Discussions on how to do that are underway.
Provide better tools support Malian entrepreneurs
The NTF V FastTrackTech Mali Project rolled out the training, in partnership with Afric'Innov and the Conseil National des Structures d'Incubateurs au Mali (National Council of Incubator Structures of Mali – CNSIM),
The intensive workshop covered essential topics like business strategy, fund-raising, human resources management and leadership. Above all, the workshop enabled participants to familiarize themselves with SWOT analysis, an essential method for assessing a company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Each of the incubators carried out its own analysis. Oumar Coulibaly came away with a clearer vision of Impact Hub Bamako's position in its market.
‘I already knew about the SWOT method, but I was only partially using it. Following the training, I understood how to exploit the tool to its full potential. This is not only useful for the companies we work with, but also for Impact Hub Bamako, as I was able to identify areas for improvement. When I spoke to my governance, they welcomed my proposals.’
For Nene Keita as well, the training provided a chance to examine its development strategy and open up new perspectives.
‘NTF V's initiative came at a very opportune time at the end of the year, when the agency wanted to take stock of its activities, take stock of current projects and lay the foundations for 2025. Drawing up our own diagnosis using the SWOT method helped us to think through our action plan, take stock of our internal skills and define our priorities.’
About the programme
The Netherlands Trust Fund V (NTF) programme (July 2021 – June 2025) is based on a partnership between the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Trade Centre. NTF V supports SMEs in the digital technology and agribusiness sectors in Benin, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Senegal and Uganda. Its ambition is to contribute to an inclusive and sustainable transformation of agri-food systems partly through digital solutions, to improve the international competitiveness of local tech start-ups and to support the implementation of the export strategy of IT&BPO companies.
