Ian Merrington

UVU Africa, formally The Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative (CiTi) is a Non-Profit Company with a mission to build a future-fit, inclusive society through technology and innovation. We do so by creating globally competitive tech and innovation sectors to enable sustainable economic growth and greater employment. CiTi was established in 1999 and operates at the intersection of business, government and society to positively shape the future of the economy and society through the use of innovation and technology. We see this model as the key driver of systemic regional change and progression. Our success in building thriving regional technology ecosystems has been recognised in a recent Endeavor Insight report, titled Evaluation & Network Analysis of the Cape Town – Stellenbosch Tech Sector. The report concluded that “Cape Town is arguably the most productive and impactful tech hub in sub- Saharan Africa.” UVU Africa achieves its mission through the following interventions: 1. Entrepreneurial development, support and incubation; 2. Digital job readiness and skills development - training young people to enter the digital economy; and 3. Open innovation clusters - picking industries of the future and supporting and stimulating their growth. 4. Providing an ecosystem and space for entrepreneurs to thrive UVU Africa continues to look at areas that will be transformative in 20 years and have an impact in five years. We are scaling our work throughout the continent to stimulate and build inclusive transformation within the digital economy.