Responsible innovation in Africa: building bridges for shared futures
Ahead of Africa Day on 25 May, how can innovation respond to local realities while remaining globally connected? At ESCP Business School, the Responsible Innovation in Africa Chair offers one answer: by bringing research, business and talent development into closer dialogue.
Since its creation in 2022, the Responsible Innovation in Africa Chair at ESCP Business School, initially supported by Axian Group and later joined by Attijariwafa Bank, has established itself as a unique platform to analyze, decode, and support these transformations.
At the crossroads of Europe and Africa, the Chair embodies a clear ambition: to foster responsible innovation models capable of addressing the continent’s economic, social, and environmental challenges, while building bridges between academic research, business practices, and talent development.
Producing knowledge: research and conferences to better understand African dynamics
From the outset, research has been at the heart of the Chair’s work. Under the leadership of Professors Nathalie Prime and Caroline Verzat, it examines innovation dynamics in African contexts, where resource constraints, informal economies and rapid digital adoption often shape new ways of doing business.
The Chair’s research focuses on themes such as transformational leadership, frugal innovation, informal economic systems and sustainable mobility. Studies have explored electric motorcycle taxis in Kampala, the modernisation of transport systems and leadership dynamics across the continent.
This work helps renew traditional innovation frameworks. It highlights more contextualised, inclusive and sustainable approaches, grounded in Africa’s specific realities: a young population, cultural diversity and a strong capacity for agile innovation.
The Chair also acts as a space for dialogue. Through conferences and debates, it brings together researchers, students, business leaders and partners to explore topics such as the role of diasporas, digital inclusion, career trajectories and family business models in African innovation ecosystems.
A specialisation at the heart of African entrepreneurial realities
At the core of the project lies a commitment to human capital development. With a large share of the population under 25, Africa is home to a rising generation of talent and entrepreneurs. As Achille Mbembe has put it, “Africa is a power in reserve, and a reserve of power.”
The Chair responds to this opportunity through its Responsible Innovation in Africa specialisation, which brings together students from ESCP Business School and leading African universities. Across three cohorts, nearly 60 students have completed the programme, combining academic learning with field experience.
This collaborative approach, bringing together European and African professors and students, fosters a learning environment based on shared perspectives and the co-construction of knowledge.
Training future leaders through immersive learning experiences
Beyond academic content, the specialisation is built on direct immersion in African economic ecosystems. In sectors such as energy, fintech, logistics, culture, the circular economy and infrastructure, African companies are developing innovative models that combine economic performance with social and environmental impact.
Through case studies, partnerships and fieldwork, students and researchers examine how these companies evolve in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environments. They also study how frugal and inclusive solutions can be designed to scale while remaining adapted to local realities.
This approach is reflected in:
-
internships ranging from nine weeks to six months in more than 20 companies across the continent
-
immersive study trips in Senegal involving nearly 25 companies
-
regular exchanges with business leaders during conferences and dedicated events
This close connection with companies reflects one of the Chair’s core ambitions: to bridge theory and practice, and to strengthen the visibility of African innovation models on the global stage.
Partnerships grounded in responsible impact
For Axian Group, this partnership reflects a shared conviction: responsible innovation must be rooted in the realities of the communities and markets it serves.
Africa does not lack talent. It needs research grounded in its realities, and bridges to put emerging solutions into practice. Africa Day is a timely moment to move beyond generalisations and focus on what is being built on the continent. This is precisely the ambition of the Responsible Innovation in Africa Chair at ESCP Business School: to make research useful to those who are building solutions, and to make those who build them a source of inspiration for research. At AXIAN, responsible innovation is not a concept. It is a daily reality. When you operate in markets where access to electricity or financial services cannot be taken for granted, impact is not a bonus. It is the reason for being. That is why this partnership with ESCP Business School makes sense for us. Training future leaders who understand that performance and responsibility are not opposites is one of the continent’s most urgent challenges.
CEO of Axian Group
Career development is also supported through:
-
internship opportunities across the continent
-
employer branding initiatives with partner companies
-
recruitment preparation and networking activities
By combining education, employability, and immersion, the Chair contributes to shaping new career trajectories rooted in Africa while remaining globally connected.
For Attijariwafa bank, this partnership is rooted in the conviction that investing in talent is essential to shaping the continent’s future.
Through this initiative, the two institutions aim to foster sustainable bridges between the academic world and the business community in order to provide students with an environment conducive to learning, exposure to diverse settings, and the broadening of their perspectives. This synergy also helps foster a culture of exchange, diverse perspectives, and an understanding of the major economic, social, and human challenges shaping transformations on both the African and international stages. Convinced that Africa today is a land of potential driven above all by the richness of its human capital, Attijariwafa bank and ESCP share a common ambition: to help identify and develop individuals capable of thriving in complex, multicultural, and constantly changing environments. Investing in talent, fostering cultural openness, and supporting the emergence of new generations that are committed and forward-looking are all integral to building a lasting impact for the continent.
Chair's partner
Creating a bridge between Africa and Europe
What sets the Responsible Innovation in Africa Chair apart is its ability to create a genuine bridge between two continents. It combines European academic expertise with African realities in a spirit of reciprocity, mutual learning and shared impact.
Through teaching, research and collaboration with companies, the Chair contributes to redefining innovation models. It shows that Africa is not simply a place where innovation is tested. It is also a source of globally relevant approaches, particularly in frugal and inclusive innovation.
Three years of impact
After three years of activity, the Chair has already delivered tangible results:
-
three cohorts and nearly 60 students trained
-
12 conferences and several research publications
-
structuring partnerships with major pan-African players
Beyond these figures, its impact lies in its ability to connect ecosystems, inspire new perspectives and support a generation of leaders committed to responsible innovation.
As Africa’s role in the global economy continues to grow, initiatives such as this Chair reflect a strong conviction: tomorrow’s innovation will increasingly be shaped through respectful dialogue between continents, grounded in local realities and open to shared futures.
For more on the Chair and its work, see the Responsible Innovation in Africa Chair page.
Campuses