UVU Africa
UVU Africa is a non-profit organization dedicated to building future-fit, inclusive societies across Africa through technology and innovation. The organization drives inclusive growth of the digital economy by focusing on business incubation, acceleration, skills development, and creating specialized innovation clusters that empower entrepreneurs, develop digital talent pipelines, and unlock new opportunities for growth.
Theory of Change
Inputs
Partnerships with government, academia, corporate and impact investors
Funding from public and private sources
Expert teams in tech, education, and biotech
Cutting-edge labs, campuses and digital platforms
Activities
Incubate tech and biotech startups
Deliver digital and entrepreneurial skills development
Accelerate EdTech and bioeconomy businesses
Advise partners and shape ecosystems through policy advocacy
Provide open access labs and resources
Outputs
Thousands trained in digital, entrepreneurial, and biotech skills
Hundreds of businesses incubated or accelerated
Research and ecosystem reports produced
Innovation hubs and labs established in multiple cities
Outcomes
Broader, more inclusive participation in Africa’s digital and tech economies
Reductions in unemployment through job creation and skills development
Increased innovation, entrepreneurship, and sector growth
Tangible improvements in educational and technology access
Programs
1. CAPACITI
CAPACITI accelerates Africa’s digital talent pipeline by equipping young people with in-demand digital and technical skills, connecting them to real career opportunities, and collaborating with partners in industry and government to solve skills gaps. The program features industry-aligned training, employment pathways, and supporting services such as advisory, outsourced gig work, and skills innovation.
Partnerships with industry and government
Funding
Expert trainers and mentors
Training facilities in major cities
Deliver digital skills training
Create employment pathways
Provide strategic advisory services
Facilitate outsourced projects and freelance opportunities
Number of youth trained annually (over 1,000)
Participants placed in tech jobs
Partnerships established
Training programs launched regionally
Increased digital workforce capacity
Improved employability for youth
Reduction in industry skills gaps
Broader access to digital careers
2. Injini
Injini is Africa’s EdTech accelerator and think tank, dedicated to improving educational outcomes across sub-Saharan Africa by supporting EdTech startups, fostering research, and driving ecosystem development. The program accelerates founders through business development programs, supports ecosystem development, and provides research and advisory services for educational innovation.
Funding from partnerships and grants
Access to mentors and education experts
Networks across African education sector
Business acceleration for EdTech startups
Ecosystem-building events and initiatives
Research and education innovation advisory
African EdTech startups incubated (55+)
Ecosystem reports and research published
Partnerships with funders and sector bodies
Improved educational access and quality
Growth of African EdTech sector
Enhanced capacity for educational innovation
Empowered founders and educators
3. UVU Bio
UVU Bio builds Africa’s bioeconomy by providing access to open-access biotechnology labs, skills development programs, business incubation, and ecosystem development. The program develops biotech talent, incubates startups, supports research, and enables industry innovations that address local and regional challenges.
State-of-the-art biotech labs in Cape Town and Kigali
Funding and mentorship
Partners from academia, government, and industry
Provide hands-on biotech skills training
Run incubation and acceleration for startups
Enable open-access lab use for entrepreneurs and researchers
Lead ecosystem development and policy advocacy
Businesses incubated (64)
Bioprocessing graduates (81)
Direct jobs created (64), indirect jobs (256)
New skills development centers established
Growth in Africa’s bioeconomy sector
Empowered biotech entrepreneurs and scientists
Increased local innovation in life sciences
Greater economic and societal impact from biotechnology
Other Information
Core Values
Inclusivity – supporting excluded populations to access digital and economic opportunity
Innovation – fostering local solutions to African challenges
Resilience – helping African societies thrive amid change
Collaboration – partnering widely for impact and ecosystem growth
Empowerment – equipping individuals and organizations with skills and networks
Scale
Annually trains 1,000+ unemployed youth in digital skills
Trained 2,500 women in tech enablement for business
Supported 55+ EdTech startups through incubation and acceleration
5,000+ entrepreneurs in ecosystem
64 businesses incubated within bioeconomy
81 bioprocessing graduates
Creates over 320 direct and indirect jobs in biotech sector
Presence in six African cities, with pan-African online/support reach
Affected Users
African youth seeking digital or biotech careers
Entrepreneurs and founders in tech, EdTech, and biotech
Women, especially in business and tech enablement
Educators and education innovators
Rural farmers, especially women
Researchers and scientists in life sciences
Geographical Areas
Cape Town, South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa
Hazyview, South Africa
Gqeberha, South Africa
Durban, South Africa
Kigali, Rwanda
Pan-African (virtual and regional reach)
Contact Info
To
Joshin Raghubar - [email protected]
Last updated