Côte d’Ivoire unveils two accelerators for startups and tech SMEs 🇨🇮

Cliquez ici pour lire en français

In late July, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Digital Transition and Technological Innovation, Djibril Ouattara, launched two new programmes in Abidjan aimed at accelerating the growth of the country’s tech companies: Ivoire Tech Next 15 and Ivoire Tech Scale Up. The stated goal: build national digital champions capable of expanding beyond the local market.

24 months of support for 30 companies 🚀

Together, the two schemes will target 30 companies: 15 startups and 15 digital SMEs, selected under separate criteria. Ivoire Tech Next 15 is open to young companies at least one year old with an already commercialised product or service. Ivoire Tech Scale Up targets more mature SMEs with average annual revenue of at least 500 million FCFA over the past three to five years. Applications are open until September 13, 2026, ahead of a pitch before an international, independent jury.

Up to 10 billion FCFA to be raised — but not direct public funding 💰

On social media, the ministry stated a target of 5 to 10 billion FCFA to be raised through these programmes. That figure, however, isn’t a direct government subsidy: it reportedly refers to capital to be raised from banks, investment funds and development partners, as part of the investor connections the support programme provides. No detailed official source has yet confirmed how or when these funds would actually be mobilised.

Funding remains Ivorian startups’ number one obstacle 🔧

According to the Ministry of Digital Transition, 78% of Ivorian startups see funding as their main obstacle to growth, in a context where fewer than a quarter of SMEs can access traditional bank credit. Beyond capital, the support will include mentorship, technical capacity-building, investor matchmaking and help accessing new markets.

The risk of favouring already-established companies 📊

The eligibility criteria — company age, revenue thresholds for Scale Up — could favour companies that are already established, generating revenue or already visible in the ecosystem. Early-stage startups, by contrast, may find it harder to qualify for either programme.

Toward a more inclusive digital ecosystem? 🌍

The geographic question remains open too. If support mainly reaches startups already based in Abidjan and connected to existing tech networks, the country’s digital growth will stay uneven. Building a genuine national tech hub will also require support for innovative companies based outside the capital.

What do you think — will these two programmes genuinely widen access to funding for Ivorian startups, or mostly benefit companies that are already established? Let us know in the comments.