The first week of October started on a strong note. Over 100 participants joined forces for the Burundi Policy Hackathon, an event that brought together key players from the Burundian entrepreneurial ecosystem. In collaboration with Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and Orange Corners with support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, i4Policy had the privilege of organizing the Hackathon as part of the “Entrepreneurship Policy Strengthening” project whose goal is to identify and address the major challenges faced by startups and SMEs in Burundi to then build an ecosystem that supports their growth.
What was the goal?
The goal was to assess existing policies and see where improvements could be made or new policies introduced to better support entrepreneurs. By working together, participants identified principal challenges and co-created actionable solutions in the journey to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
When & Where?
This day-long Hackathon took place on October 4 in Bujumbura, Burundi from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM where the energy was high and the room was buzzing with ideas.
How did it go?
Participants worked together on activities like ecosystem mapping, problem identification, and policy solution generation, guided by our lead facilitators Aniya Hamilton, Ayodélé L. Ognin, and in-country partners Aimé Christophe SHINGIRO and Joris Ngabire. Behind the scenes, Belinda Bahh played a key role in making sure the team had the support they needed. With some fun energizers and interactive sessions, the conversations were so engaging it pained us to have to bring them to a close.
Why does this matter?
Burundi’s entrepreneurial ecosystem holds tremendous potential to spur economic growth and create jobs. This Hackathon gave the ecosystem actors in the room the chance to put their heads together and co-create recommendations on how existing policies could be improved to better support entrepreneurs. Furthermore, it reinforced the community’s commitment to entrepreneurial development in Burundi.
A Fun Highlight!
During an energizer activity, Aniya Hamilton asked participants to stand up and then sit down if they spoke more than three languages—and almost everyone sat down! She joked, “In my home country, the U.S., most of us would still be standing.” It was a great reminder of how incredibly diverse and talented our group was—just imagine the creative solutions they came up with!
A special thank you to Maeva Kpadanou for all her hard work behind the scenes, and a big thank you to everyone involved. We’re excited to take the next steps in turning these ideas into concrete actions that enable all entrepreneurs to reach their full potential!
Aimé Christophe SHINGIRO, Joris Ngabire, Aniya Hamilton, Belinda Baah, Ayodele Ognin
The Future is Co-Created.
