Transforming innovation through equitable partnerships in Africa
This Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa Strategic Learning Review offers a reflective and analytical overview of the project’s progress, insights and impact to date. It draws on stakeholder experience, programme data, learnings from events, and identifies what has worked and challenges overcome throughout the duration of the project.
The project aims to build stronger equitable UK-African partnerships to maximise the creation of inclusive market access, funding and investment opportunities, and collaborative innovation between the UK, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya.
Programme overview
The Global Alliance Africa project operates under three core interventions: Place-Based Innovation (PBI), Open Innovation (OI), and Global Innovation Networks (GIN). These thematic areas collectively drive the project’s mission to accelerate innovation through equitable UK-Africa partnerships.
Place-Based Innovation
PBI focuses on localising innovation efforts to drive adoption and create sustainable impact. Through PBI, Global Alliance Africa has supported numerous initiatives, including the Ekiti Ecosystem Development project in Nigeria, which secured an $80 million investment from the African Development Bank and $14.8 million in state co-funding for the Ekiti Knowledge Zone.
Open Innovation
OI aims to solve local industrial challenges through global solutions. The OI intervention has facilitated over 60 innovation pilots, with more than £2 million in funding, including £1.25 million for UK businesses alone. Notable achievements include the development of a centrifugal system for water treatment residuals by UK company Freshworks, which is now being scaled up for commercial use.
Global Innovation Networks
GINs connect UK and African businesses through sector-specific networks that promote knowledge exchange and innovation partnerships. The GIN initiative has facilitated impactful cross-border collaborations, such as the Kaloola project in Durban, which delivered clean, waterless sanitation to 900 people and created 10 local jobs.
Key achievements
The Global Alliance Africa project has made significant strides in promoting innovation and driving economic growth. Since 2019, Global Alliance Africa has engaged over 2,700 organisations, with 66% being SMEs, 30% women-led, and 20% youth-led. The programme has facilitated 320 collaborative ventures, resulting in new products, job creation, and investment.
Global Alliance Africa’s commitment to sustainability is evident through its Lead Customer Programme (LCP), which has committed over £800,000 to innovation pilots in sectors like water security, clean energy, and alternative proteins. For example, the Agri-Energy Integration Project in South Africa supported smallholder farmers with sustainable farming solutions, attracting investor interest across Africa and Asia.
Lessons learned
The success of the Global Alliance Africa project has highlighted several key lessons for enabling innovation commercialisation and growth:
De-risking innovation
Real-world pilots are essential to move ideas from concept to market. Global Alliance Africa’s pilot funding has enabled businesses to validate their innovations and secure further investment.
Strategic partnerships
Early partnerships with industry players help validate market relevance and open routes to distribution and investment.
Local ecosystem strengthening
Co-developing innovation strategies with regional stakeholders ensures long-term commitment and alignment with local priorities.
Future outlook
As the Global Alliance Africa project continues to evolve, its blueprint offers immense potential for deeper global engagement and shared prosperity. By harnessing the UK’s sectoral expertise and enhancing equitable partnerships, Global Alliance Africa is well-positioned to drive inclusive growth and innovation across Africa.
Related programmes
Global Alliance Africa
Launched in 2019, Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa is an UK International Development initiative, funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The programme aims to build stronger equitable UK-African partnerships to maximise the creation of inclusive market access, funding and investment opportunities, and collaborative innovation between the UK, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya.
Open Innovation
Open Innovation is the belief that good ideas can come from anywhere, so it is worth looking widely, beyond your usual supply chains. Innovate UK has well-established methods for supporting Open Innovation, having run 200+ innovation challenges across the world. Our model allows diverse collaborators to respond to shared industry challenges in a mutually beneficial way.
Place-Based Innovation
Much of the current support and investment in innovation in our partner countries of Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya has concentrated on particular urban centres. However, pan-African and many African national innovation strategies cite regional self-sufficiency and resilience as a top priority.
Global Innovation Networks
Global Innovation Networks unite some of the best minds and greatest thinkers from across the UK and globally to find answers to some of the world’s most significant challenges. The Networks will facilitate UK, African and EU networks to deliver collaborative research, innovation and funding solutions that address key global innovation challenges.