Summit AIX-MARSEILLE-PROVENCE

WHY PARTICIPATE IN EMERGING VALLEY?

Aix-Marseille Provence is an obvious choice for EMERGING Valley due to the outstanding links between Africa and Provence. With its geographical and historical proximity, strong diaspora and the support of over 5000 African talents every year, Aix-Marseille-Provence has shown itself to be a hub of networking, partnerships and endless connections with Africa. The number 1 French port to Africa, the number 1 regional air hub to Africa and the number 1 European digital hub to Africa are all in the same place. The leading French-speaking university, Aix-Marseille-Université, and the headquarters of the Institute for Research for Development are naturally focussed on the Mediterranean and Africa to conduct research and develop partnerships, innovation and training.

1st

French port to Africa

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Regional air hub to Africa

1st

Digital hub to Africa in Europe

1st

French-speaking university

Aix-Marseille-Provence

Hub d'innovations émergentes entre l'Afrique et l'Europe

More than ever before, Marseille is a place that anyone involved in African innovation can identify with. More than 250 African startups and SMEs apply to calls for projects in the region each year. These can come from the Social and Inclusive Business Camp (organised by two regional stakeholders – EMERGING Valley and the FDA’s Campus in Marseille), the Phare de l’Entrepreneuriat Africain and the Med’Innovant Africa Competition launched by Euroméditerranée.

Many regional incubators naturally focus on the Mediterranean and Africa, such as Accélérateur M at the Cité de l’Innovation in Marseille which focusses on the blue economy. Another one is the Zebox accelerator – founded by the Marseille multinational CMA-CGM – that specialises in logistics, mobility and industry 4.0. There is also the Marseille Innovation incubator and the Arbois-Méditerranée technopole which work on cleantech. These two structures develop and forge long-lasting links with African and Mediterranean companies in synergy with EMERGING Valley each year. By choosing Marseille, the number 1 event for African startups in France has made Provence THE essential strategic hub at the heart of the new relationship between Europe and Africa.

Department of Bouches-du-Rhône

The department of the Bouches-du-Rhône is the most efficient and legitimate French territory in the Euro-Med-Africa partnership and aims to make Provence the focal point of welcoming all the available talent and innovation from Africa. As a gateway between the two shores of the Mediterranean, the Department of the Bouches-du-Rhône has once again teamed up with EMERGING Valley and has reasserted its commitment to agritech, water and the hot topic of zoonoses all through Biodiversity 2.0.

EPA Euroméditerranée

The Euroméditerranée public planning institution has made African cities and the continent’s future “smart-cities” a key focal point in the debate. By supporting EMERGING Valley, it is aiming to identify African Tech innovators that are capable of tackling the challenges of urban planning on the Europe-Africa axis. This is why this historic partner of EMERGING Valley led the “Resilient Territory” plenary session to look at the agility of European and African cities.

City of Marseille

The City of Marseille is committed to supporting innovative tech companies to ensure that their ideas grow, prosper and are implemented in Africa. The City of Marseille is twinned with 25 African and Mediterranean cities. By supporting EMERGING Valley, it is once again showing itself as a key territory between Europe and the African continent.

aix-marseille-provence

Fully aware of Africa’s booming potential and eager to foster the relationship between the two shores of the Mediterranean, the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis made transforming a Euromediterranean capital that is open to African markets one of the 3 strategic pillars of its economic development agenda in 2017. The metropolis naturally supports EMERGING Valley as it wants to make the area a hub of innovation between Africa and Europe. The central theme of this fourth edition is e-health.

samir abdelkhrim

EMERGING Valley founder “The Provence and Aix-Marseille in particular have all the legitimacy – historically, geographically, culturally, humanly… – to become the essential hub for innovation between Africa and Europe! It is also the only region from France, which claims this positioning with Africa on digital issues, and it wants to assert itself as a pole of attraction for companies from around the world who want to address the African market by being based in Marseille. It also attract the best talents from Africa who want a foothold on the northern shore of the Mediterranean to address the European market.There is today a real opportunity for our Provencal territory to establish itself as a hub between Europe, and Africa, and Marseille obviously can claim it “

Founder of EMERGING Valley

Summit AIX-MARSEILLE-PROVENCE