African ingenuity in focus: GIIG Africa teams up with Gigaton

The Global Innovation Initiative Group (GIIG) Africa has announced its collaboration with the Gigaton Opportunity Initiative, launched by Social Alpha and RISE, as part of the Mission Innovations Net-zero Compatibility Innovations Initiative (NCI).

According to Dennis Pamlin, an internationally renowned sustainability strategist and the executive director of the Mission Innovations Net-Zero Compatibility Innovations Initiative (NCI), “GIIG’s work across Africa, combined with its international reach, makes it a crucial stakeholder for a future of the innovation ecosystem to deliver globally sustainable solutions.”

The partnership aims to highlight the potential for African start-ups and the African innovation ecosystem to become global solution providers and deliver positive impact on a gigaton scale. This will be showcased at the Mission Innovation ministerial, held in conjunction with the G20 energy summit in India currently underway.

The Gigaton Opportunity Initiative, as explained by Pamlin, focuses on addressing human needs and ensuring a future where everyone can live flourishing lives. Instead of solely focusing on emission reductions in existing systems, the initiative identifies and supports accelerators, incubators, and initiatives that foster the development of globally sustainable solutions.

Pamlin states, “As our primary focus revolves around delivering solutions for a future where everyone can thrive, Africa is at the heart of The Gigaton Opportunity/GIIG collaboration.”

Africa, projected to be home to one-third of the world’s population by the end of the century, plays a central role in this mission, given its potential to harbour the largest proportion of young entrepreneurs during this transitional period.

The success of the Gigaton Opportunity Initiative and GIIG Africa’s participation relies heavily on the involvement of various cities and regions. Addis Ababa, the host of the Global Startup Awards (GSA) Africa 2022/23 Summit in October 2023, plays a particularly significant role in this endeavour.

Jo Griffiths, co-founder of GIIG, highlights the importance of African cities, stating, “African cities represent untapped opportunities of gigaton proportions for the development of transformative solutions that can reshape the world.”

GIIG Africa aims to bring African cities that export or aspire to export sustainable solutions to COP28 in collaboration with the Gigaton Opportunity Initiative.

The collaboration underscores the vital role played by start-ups in establishing a sustainable innovation ecosystem for the 21st century. Two African start-ups, Kubik and Envisionit Deep AI, will be showcasing their solutions at the MI/G20 meeting.

Griffiths emphasises the significance of African innovators in addressing global challenges, stating, “With our growing pipeline with thousands of solutions we are investing, developing local and national economies, and pioneering global solutions.”

By granting global visibility to the African innovation ecosystem, this partnership plays a pivotal role in The Gigaton Opportunity Initiative’s agenda at the upcoming COP28 climate conference, which will be held at the UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub.

GIIG Africa invites all interested parties to join in this transformative initiative and contribute to the future of globally sustainable solutions.

For more information about the MI/G20 meeting, visit https://cem-mi-india.org/.

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