During the final days of Italy’s G7 Presidency, the ‘African Innovation Leadership’ project was launched to develop skills and expertise in support of innovation and entrepreneurship on the African continent, with the aim of consolidating important collaborations in the field of science, technology and innovation between Italy and some of the African nations that are of priority interest to Italy. The programme envisages the design and provision of a first-level university Master’s degree funded by the Directorate General for Global Affairs of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and managed by Politecnico di Milano, POLIMI Graduate School of Management and Fondazione E4Impact.
The Master is aimed at providing strategic skills to the innovation ecosystems of 6 Sub Saharan African countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and Tanzania), thus fostering the development of entrepreneurship among the younger generations and promoting the proactivity of academic institutions and research and innovation centres in these territories.
The Master is the result of an important joint effort by the actors involved, supported by the Directorate General for Global Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. “In Africa, innovation for development is a key lever in addressing complex social challenges that are global in their impact, but local in their urgency,” said Professor Emanuela Colombo, Delegate to Science Diplomacy at the Politecnico di Milano. “The Master’s degree aims to pave the way for a future of social progress and entrepreneurial growth on the Continent, encouraging the consolidation of local innovation ecosystems,” said Professor Paola Garrone of the Politecnico di Milano and Director of the Master’s degree.
The Master is aimed at 40 professionals, including innovation managers and entrepreneurs, and offers online, in-person or instructor-led online lectures, as well as fieldwork and residential periods in Italy and Africa. Enrolment for the Master’s programme, which starts at the end of next April, is open until 15 March 2025. At the end of the 18-month course, participants will have to develop a business plan with a high social impact, on topics relevant to their countries, and focusing on major sectors such as energy, agrifood, manufacturing and digital. During the Master’s course, students will be supervised by experts and academic tutors and will be able to carry out an in-person training period in Milan in November.
“The students will be supported throughout their educational journey by experts from both the academic and industrial worlds, and during the period in Milan they will be able to meet exponents from the Italian entrepreneurial scene, research centres and innovation poles,” concluded Professor Mauro Mancini, Associate Dean of POLIMI Graduate School of Management.
Starting in January 2025, all information will be available at www.gsom.polimi.it.
