Find out the latest information about this inspiring Euro-African co-innovation programme.
The 6th edition of EMERGING Valley – the international summit dedicated to African innovation – will be held on Tuesday November 29, 2022 in the majestic setting of the Palais du Pharo in Marseille. More than 2,000 participants, 150 startups and 50 investors from 70 countries are expected to attend both in person and online. Anyone can come to the event free of charge by simply signing up on the official EMERGING Valley website. You can participate either remotely or face-to-face (within the limits set to enhance the quality of networking and business exchanges).
Founded in Marseille by Samir ABDELKRIM, author of “Startup Lions, at the heart of African Tech” and placed under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic Emmanuel MACRON in 2018 and 2021, EMERGING Valley has established itself, in just a few years, as the international summit where the most influential decision-makers in tech and innovative entrepreneurship from Africa and Europe meet each year.
Samir ABDELKRIM, founder of EMERGING Valley: “After recently revealing the first key speakers and hot topics of this 6th edition of EMERGING Valley, we delighted to be able to tell you more about the programme of this unmissable meeting of African innovation, with less than a month to go before the event. This year once again, we are looking forward to addressing key topics such as co-innovation, food sovereignty, agritech, energy sovereignty, sustainable development, e-health and civil tech. Through our event, we also hope to demonstrate how the land of diversity and possibilities that is the Aix-Marseille-Provence territory has become an essential bridge of innovation between Europe and Africa. Marseille is a finalist in the race to become the 2022 European capital of innovation – an application that EMERGING Valley is proud to support as a partner of the Metropolis. “
An inspiring programme that tackles global geopolitical, social and environmental issues.
The 6th edition of EMERGING Valley will present from three stages. “No less than 40 conferences, round tables, fireside chats, pitch sessions, award ceremonies and workshops will be organised throughout the day on the Main Stage, as well as on the second stage all about “Impact”. And new this year, we have created a third stage with a new collective intelligence format, the “Co-Innovation Lab”, in partnership with the African innovation agency Fanaka,” Samir ABDELKRIM.
The Main Stage: the beating heart of EMERGING Valley
The Main Stage brings together the decision-makers who were all over Africa-Europe tech in 2021, alongside high-impact digital champions from across the continent and local stakeholders who try to join up both shores of the Mediterranean.
This stage will kick off with an opening plenary led by Samir ABDELKRIM. The following will take part in this official opening: Laure-Agnès CARADEC, President of the Board of Directors of the EPA Euroméditerranée, Michèle RUBIROLA, First Deputy Mayor of Marseille and Martine VASSAL, President of the Departmental Council of Bouches-du-Rhône and President of the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis.
After which, the Main Stage will have many other thematic plenaries, including:
- African startups and financing during the global crisis: projection and strategies of major investors in Africa. International financial crisis, cascading social plans and the stock price crash of the biggest names in global tech: what impact has this had on African VC? While the volume of levies on the continent continues to climb, once again highlighting the uniqueness of its ecosystems, this shock could still affect Africa in the not so distance future. Get advice from the best investors in the sector exclusively on November 29 with I&P, 500 Global, Kepple Ventures, IFC, Teranga Capital, BPIFrance, Digital Africa or GSMA. The biggest investors in Africa will be attending EMERGING Valley to speak at the Palais du Pharo! Other speakers include Sébastien Boyé, Co-General Manager of Investisseurs & Partenaires – Satoshi SHINADA Partner at Kepple Africa Ventures – Mareme DIENG Lead Africa 500 Global – Isabelle BEABAR, Director of International & European Affairs of Bpifrance – Olivier FURDELLE co-founder of Teranga Capital, Stéphan Eloïse GRAS, Executive Director of Digital Africa and Max CUVELLIER Head of Mobile for Development GSMA.
- Europe-Africa Co-Innovation: the new paradigm? Going from cooperation to shared destiny through the prism of innovation. In partnership with the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis, this conference includes speakers such as his excellency Mr. Daniel SCHAER, Ambassador-at-large for Economic Cooperation with Africa, Estonia, Slim KHALBOUS, Rector of the Association of Francophone Universities, and Marième DIOP, IFC Francophone Africa Director – World Bank Group.
- Food sovereignty 2.0: inventing a new agricultural alliance between the two continents using digital technology during renewed geopolitical unrest. In partnership with the Department of Bouches du Rhône, this conference on food sovereignty will include: Arnaud MERCIER, Departmental Advisor Delegate for Management Control, I.T. Systems and Digital Services, Valérie VERDIER President and CEO of the Research Institute for Development, and many African startups specialising in food sovereignty through digital technology.
- Energy sovereignty: Technological innovation at the heart of the implementation of sustainable, sovereign and resilient energy policies in Africa, plenary session followed by the presentation of the Digital Energy Challenge Awards.
- Decarbonisation and Climate Neutral Cities: what innovations do Europe and Africa share? In partnership with the City of Marseille, this conference will have discussions between Laurent LHARDIT, Deputy Mayor of Marseille, Yaya KONÉ, Founder of COLIBA, Anicia JAEGLER, Associate Dean of Inclusivity and Senior Professor at KEDGE Business School and Lamiae BENMAKHLOUF, General Manager of the Moroccan Information Technopark Company MITC.
- Informal cities: the emergence of the African informal city 2.0: how has continent become the laboratory of new urban governance through digital technology? This plenary will be led in partnership with the Public Establishment for Euro-Mediterranean Development (EPAEM). The speakers will be: Marie-Luce BOUSSETON, Acting Director General of EPAEM, Maria Christina KOLO, Founder of GreenNKool & Winner of the Med’Innovant Africa 2021 Prize, Ibrahima GUIMBA-SAIDOU, President of the National Agency for I.T. Systems of Niger as well as a representative of the French Development Agency and the HE the Ambassador of India in France.
The Main Stage will also present:
- The REA Bridge Africa programme, a network of entrepreneurs, supported by the ANIMA Investment Network.
- The presentation of the Digital Energy Challenge Awards to a selection of African energy sovereignty startups.
- The presentation of the Med’innovant Africa Prize followed by the presentation of the Provence Africa Connect 2021 Prize by Marie-Luce BOUSSETON and Didier PARAKIAN, Vice-President of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis.
- The presentation of the 2022 cohort of the Social & Inclusive Business Camp programme of the French Development Agency. 5 startups will pitch to the audience.
Stage 2 “IMPACT” for stakeholders in the field and 100% impact-oriented programmes!
This platform will offer short and dynamic sessions with concrete and results-oriented thematic angles but also testimonials and feedback from people who strive for innovation day in day out with impacts in societal matters, e-health, agritech, energy resilience, e-sport and video games.
Among these sessions:
- Rea Bridge Africa: Strengthening networks of entrepreneurs in Africa – in partnership with Anima rea bridge Africa.
- Innovation in Provence – in partnership with the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis.
- E-Health: new innovations crossed between Europe and Africa – in partnership with the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis.
- E-sport, a new major market of the future between Europe and Africa – in partnership with the Department of Bouches du Rhône.
- Feedback from the Social Inclusive Business Camp: high-impact startups take the floor! – in partnership with the French Development Agency.
- Presentation of African Energy Sovereignty Startups
- And several other partner sessions such as that of GIZ SAIS.
The “Co-Innovation LAB”: A third stage that promotes collective intelligence
Unprecedented, this long-format platform, collaborative and dedicated to substantive subjects, will offer a participatory format. This stage will be organised in partnership with Fanaka, an African agency specialising in collaborative innovation.
Sessions will include:
- “Female leaders! A panorama of female entrepreneurship in Tunisia” – in partnership with FAST.
- From preserving biodiversity to including the most fragile populations: how Mediterranean Techs are repairing “Mare Nostrum”.
- Collective Intelligence at the service of Energy Sovereignty.
- EdTech, Civic Tech, Legal Tech: empowering African citizens through digital tools.
- As well as three other thematic sessions on collective intelligence in partnership, for each of them, with Scale Changer, Expertise France and Digital Africa.
The full programme and the list of all speakers present are available on the event website: https://www.online-emergingvalley.co/
Photo credit: Kindel Media (Pexels.com)
