On Friday 14 May 2021, the Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation, Ms Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU, chaired the ceremony presenting cheques to the Beninese startups awarded OUMANDERA funding. The Minister of Economy and Finance was represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Mr Hermann Orou TAKOU
On Friday 14 May 2021, the Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation, Ms Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU, chaired the ceremony presenting cheques to the Beninese startups awarded OUMANDERA funding. The Minister of Economy and Finance was represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Mr Hermann Orou TAKOU.
In the presence of the founders of the winning startups, Ms Jessica GABA, Coordinator of the Digital Entrepreneurship Support Fund (FAEN), outlined the mechanism through which the startups were selected to benefit from OUMANDERA funding. The FAEN received 114 applications following a call for applications launched in October 2020. The 11 best startups were chosen at the end of a three-stage selection process: a pre-selection, a written assessment of the applications and pitches before an evaluation committee. “Throughout the selection process, we met young people, men and women, full of energy, determined and with a great deal of passion. They are the ones who will create the jobs of tomorrow,” added Mr Aristide ADJINACOU, Director of Operations of the Information Services and Systems Agency (ASSI) and Chair of the evaluation committee.
GO MEDICAL, BFT, FEDAPAY, GOUNOU, YLOMI, TIC AGRO BUSINESS, OLA MEDICAL SERVICES, AFRICA PUZZLE, JINUKUN, MEDOM BENIN and TECH IT ALL ENGENEERING, the 11 startups awarded OUMANDERA funding under the first intake of 2020-2021, through their spokesperson Mr Amos AVOCE, founder of BFT, thanked the Government for these grants, which will certainly help them embark on a new phase in the development of their activities.
After congratulating the winning startups, the Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation, Ms Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU, assured them of the Government's commitment to developing the digital sector. For the Minister, the many investments in digital infrastructure, the modernisation of the administration and the applications set up as part of the digitisation of procedures must be accompanied by the development of private initiative. OUMANDERA funding is part of this vision. “Today we are at the end of a process, but it is not the end of everything; it is the beginning of something else: the beginning of the follow-up that we are going to put in place,” said the Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation. The winning startups will indeed join a local acceleration programme to refine their projects before receiving their respective funding.
To see the list of startups awarded OUMANDERA funding under the first intake of 2020-2021, read the full text of Order No. 007/MND/DC/SGM/CTJ/DAF/CJ/SA/009SGG21 setting the list of startups awarded a grant under the Digital Entrepreneurship Support Fund ==> https://bit.ly/3tSsVrW