Bringing innovations to life is only the first step. Helping them become viable ventures and scale up is another. This is the new focus of the Congo Basin Innovation Days, which seeks to bring entrepreneurs, the private sector, researchers, and public authorities closer together. On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, the JIBC team met with the Minister of Industrial Development and representatives of the Congolese business community.
The Congo Basin Innovation Days aim to build lasting bridges with public institutions and the business community. The stated objective is to move beyond simple meetings and develop cooperation mechanisms and concrete projects. This was the key focus of September 16, 2026, which featured meetings with the Minister of Industrial Development, the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Scientific Research, and the Congolese business association UNICONGO.
“What matters to us today, as we have been emphasizing for the past two days, is what comes next. […] Today is about establishing a framework for cooperation. It is about putting MOUs in place for research, because without a formal framework, we cannot succeed. […] These are concrete projects that we came to present to them, projects that sparked their interest, and that we will now work to implement.”
Séraphine EKOA, President, Africa – Innovation Outre-Mer – Cameroon
In this context, the JIBC aims in particular to work on structuring value chains and promoting local production. According to the organizers, supporting specific products through the certification process can help increase their value and open up access to new markets. Bringing entrepreneurs and scientific institutions closer together should foster the development of solutions tailored to local needs, while specialized public agencies can contribute to their support and standardization.
“Any initiative aimed at developing and promoting innovation aligns with the government’s policy and vision, particularly its goals of diversifying the economy, developing local production, and fostering local and entrepreneurial initiatives.”
Michel DJOMBO, Minister of Industrial Development and Special Economic Zones – Congo
Through this approach, the JIBC aims to position innovation within a broader dynamic that goes beyond the event itself. The real challenge now is to turn the opportunities identified into cooperation frameworks, partnerships, and projects capable of making a lasting contribution to the development of the Congolese private sector.
