Digital Entrepreneurship Support Fund: a tool to boost the development of Beninese startups
“To position Benin as the digital platform of West Africa by 2021 and make Information and Communication Technologies the main lever of its socio-economic development”: such has been the stated ambition of the Government of His Excellency President Patrice TALON since 2016. Aware of the important role startups play in achieving this goal, the Ministry of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation has set up several support mechanisms, including the Digital Entrepreneurship Support Fund (FAEN).
The FAEN aims to revitalise digital entrepreneurship through direct financial support, training and assistance for startups and young people wishing to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digital technology in Benin. The Fund is part of the vision of the Government of the Republic of Benin to establish a viable and solid ecosystem for digital entrepreneurship. More specifically, the Fund’s activities aim to create an innovation environment for digital start-ups, to provide them with tools and resources that help them grow into prosperous and sustainable businesses, and to improve the national and international visibility of Beninese startups.
As part of implementing one of the strands of its action, the FAEN will very shortly launch a call for applications for funding for Beninese startups, to help them begin a new phase in the development of their business.