Stakeholders in Africa’s entrepreneurship and innovation space have renewed calls for stronger collaboration among enterprise support organisations (ESOs) to drive inclusive growth, improve coordination, and expand opportunities for underserved markets across the continent.
Tolulope Makinwa highlighted this momentum following her participation in the #Connecta Africa Summit, convened by Bridge for Billions, which brought together ecosystem leaders, development partners, and entrepreneurship support organisations working to strengthen startup and MSME development across Africa.
The summit, according to participants, served as a strategic platform for dialogue on how Africa’s fragmented entrepreneurship support systems can be better aligned to ensure more coordinated, efficient, and inclusive outcomes for emerging businesses.
Makinwa, who also serves on the Nigerian Enterprise Support Organization Steering Committee, described the engagement as an important opportunity to deepen collaboration among ESOs and reinforce the role of structured support systems in scaling innovation and enterprise development.
She noted that organisations such as Muazu Africa are increasingly focusing on building resilient ecosystems that connect underserved entrepreneurs to knowledge, resources, and capital needed to grow sustainable businesses.
According to her, the discussions underscored the importance of moving beyond isolated interventions toward more integrated ecosystem approaches that encourage knowledge sharing, strategic partnerships, and aligned support mechanisms for entrepreneurs across different sectors and regions.
In a statement reflecting on the summit, she emphasized that collaboration among ESOs is becoming increasingly critical as Africa seeks to unlock the full potential of its youth-driven entrepreneurship landscape and rural enterprise networks.
She said the Connecta Africa Summit demonstrated the value of convenings that bring together diverse actors across the innovation ecosystem, helping to bridge gaps between policy, funding, and implementation while strengthening pathways for startups, MSMEs, and emerging entrepreneurs.
Makinwa also commended Bridge for Billions for providing what she described as a collaborative platform that fosters dialogue, ecosystem alignment, and shared commitment toward sustainable enterprise development across Africa.
She reaffirmed Muazu Africa’s commitment to initiatives that expand opportunity, accelerate enterprise growth, and deepen impact in underserved communities, noting that inclusive entrepreneurship remains central to Africa’s long-term economic transformation agenda.
As Africa’s innovation ecosystem continues to evolve, stakeholders say such collaborations are increasingly vital for building resilient support structures capable of driving inclusive growth and unlocking new economic opportunities across both urban and rural markets.
