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Good practice Imported

BongoHive — Zambia's First Technology & Innovation Hub

Zambia · Lusaka · See the Zambia profile · See the Lusaka profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 29% 76/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Zambia's first tech hub, founded in 2011, had aided ~1,300 startups and channelled $2m+ by 2020 (TechCabal); by 2026 it reports 2,800+ startups and 1,000+ women-led enterprises supported, with programmes extended to Namibia, Malawi and Mozambique.

1300 startups
Startups and MSMEs supported (by 2020) (by 2020)
2 USD million
Resources channelled to supported startups (by 2020) (by 2020)
2800 startups
Startups supported (cumulative, over 14 years) (over 14 years, by 2026)
1000 enterprises
Women-led enterprises supported (cumulative)
160 founders
Female founders funded via Standard Chartered Women in Tech initiative
20000 USD
Maximum grant size (Women in Tech initiative)
BongoHive — Zambia's First Technology & Innovation Hub

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
BongoHive Technology and Innovation Hub
Period
2011–present
Keywords
Startup incubation and acceleration, entrepreneurship training, fintech, co-working

Context

BongoHive is Zambia's first technology and innovation hub, founded in Lusaka in May 2011 by Lukonga Lindunda, Bart Cornille and Simunza Muyangana. It began in a single room within the Ministry of Education's offices with eight interns.

Activities

The hub runs startup and MSME support programmes, including the Standard Chartered Women in Tech initiative, the #40Days40FinTechs programme, an Investor Ready Hackathon with MTN Zambia, and an investment arm (BongoHive Ventures) established with Inside Capital; it has also expanded operations regionally into Namibia, Malawi and Mozambique.

Results

According to BongoHive's own figures and media reporting, the hub had supported nearly 1,300 startups and MSMEs and channelled more than $2 million in resources by 2020, growing to more than 2,800 startups supported over 14 years by 2026, including over 1,000 women-led enterprises.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
Founded by a team of three (Lukonga Lindunda, Bart Cornille, Simunza Muyangana), Began operations with eight interns in a single room

Conditions for success

  • Corporate partnerships (e.g., Standard Chartered, MTN Zambia) providing funding and programme co-delivery
  • Dedicated investment vehicle (BongoHive Ventures, with Inside Capital) to channel follow-on capital
  • Regional expansion into neighbouring countries (Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique)

Where it fits

Governance type
independent hub with corporate and investor partnerships
Scale
national with regional expansion into three neighbouring countries
Income level
lower-middle-income (Zambia)

Commonly funded by

Philanthropic / foundation funding

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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