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Good practice Imported

CTIC Dakar — West Africa's First Public-Private ICT Incubator

Senegal · Dakar · See the Senegal profile · See the Dakar profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 29% 76/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

CTIC Dakar, founded 2011 with OPTIC, the Senegalese government, World Bank/IFC and Orange/Sonatel, has supported nearly 4,000 project leaders and 187 companies whose cumulative revenue reached 5.66 billion FCFA (~$9.4M), independently confirmed by World Bank reporting.

3,898
Project leaders supported
187
Companies formally accompanied
5.66 billion FCFA (~US$9.4 million)
Cumulative revenue of incubated firms
683 million FCFA
Start-up funding raised
2.82 billion FCFA
Donor grants secured
41%
Average annual portfolio growth
176
Companies created (10-year mark) (2011-2021)
~5 billion FCFA
Cumulative turnover (10-year mark) (2011-2021)
80+
Companies supported (World Bank confirmation)
~US$6 million
Cumulative portfolio revenue (World Bank confirmation)
2,000+
Entrepreneurs trained
CTIC Dakar — West Africa's First Public-Private ICT Incubator

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
CTIC Dakar (OPTIC, Government of Senegal, World Bank/IFC, GIZ, EU-CDE, Orange/Sonatel)
Period
2011–present
Keywords
startup incubation, ICT entrepreneurship, public-private partnership, digital economy

Context

CTIC Dakar opened in 2011 as West Africa's first dedicated ICT business incubator, structured as a public-private partnership between Senegal's ICT employers' association OPTIC, the Senegalese government, the World Bank's infoDev programme, the IFC, GIZ, the EU's Centre for the Development of Enterprise, and telecom operator Orange/Sonatel.

Activities

It provides incubation space, mentoring and seed-stage support, and since 2018 a 'Tech Lab' co-developed with the World Bank Group to help startups build and test digital products.

Results

CTIC Dakar's own reporting cites 3,898 project leaders supported and 187 companies accompanied, with cumulative incubated-firm revenue of 5.66 billion FCFA, 683 million FCFA in startup funding raised, 2.82 billion FCFA in donor grants, and 41% average annual portfolio growth. Independent reporting corroborates the trajectory at different points: Dakaractu found 176 companies created and ~5 billion FCFA cumulative turnover at the 10-year mark, and the World Bank's own results pages (2016 and 2018) independently confirmed over 80 companies supported, ~US$6 million cumulative portfolio revenue, the same 41% growth figure, and 2,000+ entrepreneurs trained.

Conclusions

Because figures come from several different reporting years rather than a single audited total, exact counts vary between sources — evidence of genuine, evolving activity rather than a static number, but meaning no single verified 'current' figure exists. No data on gender or regional balance of supported entrepreneurs was found.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
Delivered as a public-private partnership across OPTIC, the Senegalese government, World Bank/IFC, GIZ, EU-CDE and Orange/Sonatel

Conditions for success

  • Multi-donor, multi-stakeholder funding base spreading risk across public, multilateral and private partners
  • Dedicated 'Tech Lab' facility (from 2018) co-developed with the World Bank Group for product-building support

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

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

Attachments

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