the zambian innovation series: the startup ecosystem
bongohive: the anchor of zambia's startup ecosystem. established may 2011, founded by enthusiastic programmers who experienced firsthand the gaps in zambia's local technology industry — lack of coordination, limited skills exposure, absence of productivity infrastructure. since 2011: co-working space, startup incubation, entrepreneurship training, developer groups in gaming and robotics, accelerator programmes, and networking events. 15 startup investments. 10 active partners.
in november 2025, bongohive signed an MoU with the university of zambia to build a direct pathway from academic research to commercial startup — through joint incubation, mentorship, the UNZA innovation challenge, and the development of the unipod AI hub.
the broader ecosystem: impact hub lusaka — part of the global impact hub network, with an entrepreneurs in residence programme for early-stage founders. innovation village. growthafrica. officesphase. the asikana network — empowering young women in technology. ZICTA and the ministry of technology and science shaping the regulatory environment.
events: lusaka startup week. google I/O extended lusaka. the zambia fintech summit at the mulungushi international conference centre in march 2025, connecting the zambian ecosystem to the african export-import bank, smart africa, and invest africa.
the talent question: a growing pool of young, educated people interested in entrepreneurship. but a skills gap exists in software development, data science, AI, and digital marketing — where demand from startups exceeds the supply of trained professionals.
the funding gap: the most persistent challenge. zambian startups reaching product-market fit frequently need to look outside zambia — to south african, kenyan, or international VC — for the growth capital that would allow them to scale. this gap is narrower than five years ago. it has not closed.
the ecosystem is young. it is growing. asking the same question this morning's post asked: what does it take to create, not just adopt?
the zambian innovation series continues. 🇿🇲💡
