ALGERIA – state-owned Algeria Ventures has partnered with Google for start-ups MENA to launch startup acceleration program in Algeria.
The new program was launched in the presence of Yacine El-Mahdi Oualid, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister responsible for the knowledge economy and start-ups.
The program, dubbed ‘Boost Competencies Entrepreneurship (BCEP)’ has already promoted 14 start-ups from seven provinces across the country.
It aims to accelerate the growth of these start-ups by training and assisting them in acquiring and developing necessary skills through courses and workshops.
According to Oualid, the program enables start-ups to benefit from the training provided by Google executives with the goal of increasing managerial and technological abilities.
The program will also enable the provision of quality training and effective acceleration with the support of pioneering international skills and expertise in the formation of world-leading ecosystems.
“Today marks the launch of the inaugural campaign, which brings together 14 entrepreneurs operating in a dozen distinct sectors,” said Sid Ali Zerrouki, Managing Director of Algeria Venture.
“New promotions will begin shortly with the goal of achieving 100 accelerated start-ups before the end of the year.’’
Salim Abid, the representative of Google responsible for the growth of the startup ecosystem in the MENA area, emphasized the computer giant’s support for Algerian start-ups for several years.
“At the moment, we’re interested in assisting all start-ups, project leaders, and students. We’ve trained approximately 100,000 project leaders and Algerian students over the last two years,” said Salim Abid.
“The training is based on the most cutting-edge technologies, from artificial intelligence to clouds (virtual storage), using the Android platform, in order to transfer the Google experience to these entrepreneurs.”
The program’s first promotion will focus on entrepreneurs operating in ICT, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, logistics, and education.
Ventures supporting African startups are increasing evidenced by the increasing rate of funding African start-ups have received in the past years.
The rise is also attributed to the increased tech capabilities of the continent that has a relatively youthful and growing population, coupled with rising living standards and internet penetration.
With the right backing, African start-ups can grow to their full potential contributing much to the GDP of the countries they operate in, in addition to job creation.
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