At Emerging Valley, Africa is inventing its own models
For a long time, technological innovation in Africa was spoken of in the future tense: promise, potential, projection. Today, it is lived in the present — and above all, it is being built according to its own logics, realities, markets, and crises. A generation of entrepreneurs, investors, and public operators is bringing forth an ecosystem that no longer copies dominant models: it reinvents them and showcases them at Emerging Valley.
By Yousra Gouja, in Marseille
« We must look for our own investors, from our territories, » insist several actors from the continent gathered for this 9th edition of Emerging Valley, held on 26 November, dedicated to the impact generation, where 120 speakers, 40 funds and a new class of builders came together. This movement is also taking place in the cities. Marseille, long reduced to its logistical role, is now establishing itself as a strategic crossroads. « Marseille has become the capital of innovation between Europe and Africa, » analyses Samir Abdelkrim, founder of Emerging Valley. Here, investors, diasporas, startups and institutions meet — sometimes for the first time.
Vincent Languille, metropolitan councillor for International Relations and European Funds and mayor of Le Tholonet, sums it up: « It is the only platform where African, European and now Asian entrepreneurs and investors truly talk to each other. » And the geography of innovation is changing. The map no longer looks anything like it did in 2015: new hubs are emerging, countries are accelerating, others are reinventing themselves. The current climate does not spare African startups. « It’s hard to raise funds, » acknowledges Uwem Uwemakpan, Head of Investments at Launch Africa. « You have to be a very good salesperson — and that requires practice. »
But a shift is under way: external perspectives are evolving, notably in the Gulf. According to Faten Aissi, Partnership Director at Flat6Labs, a threshold has been crossed: « Gulf investors no longer see Africa as a risky bet but as a strategic investment. » Yet mobility and access remain unequal and costly. She reminds us: entrepreneurs need strong investment corridors, legal support, accountants, cross-border tools — not just capital. There is also a notable cultural challenge: « Most deals are done over a drink — where women aren’t invited. We place them in the right rooms. We must fight intentional biases. »
Models born from African realities
If Africa is inventing, it is not for the sake of it. It is because its needs resemble no other market. Zineb Saidi, Communication and Marketing Director of Technopark Morocco, explains: « We have unique challenges. So our startups must be designed for us. At Emerging Valley I even met a startup that verifies diplomas. » An innovation responding to a real market: 36% of startups incubated at Technopark Morocco export, nearly half of them to Africa itself — proof that circular value precedes global ambition.
In Agadir, the startup Sand to Green, supported on site, transforms desert areas into sustainable plantations — and is now winning international awards and a Norwegian fund. They also host a public administrator directly in their offices to meet startups’ needs. A unique time-saver to avoid endless administrative back-and-forth. The same logic applies at Novation City in Tunisia, where a deeptech ecosystem is being built around AI, Industry 4.0 and automotive. 45% of the projects are led by women. A silent revolution.
For Adil Tourabi, Sales Director Africa–Middle East at OVHcloud, one sentence sums it all up: « The African market does not exist. There are as many markets as countries — including for the cloud. » This fragmentation is not a barrier but a reality upon which to build — provided there is a vision. « You cannot decide you will have an AI strategy by 2030 if you have not first defined the sovereignty you want to build, » recalls Ahcène Gheroufella, Deputy Director at Expertise France.
Diaspora, sovereignty, new alliances
Data, finance, AI, energy, agritech, logistics, and industry are becoming the grounds of a technological renaissance, where diasporas and territories play a structuring role. In Marseille, some already feel it. « Here, we are respected, » says Samir Bouzidi, CEO of Impact Diaspora, echoing what Africans living in Marseille have told him.
The city is twinned with Dakar. Tunisian startups are already the most represented in the PACA region.
Yet one question remains: where are the binational talents in these discussions? Do they have a place? Is it even a topic? Between the rise of regional funds, the new map of hubs, international ambitions and cultural affirmation, one phrase echoes like a refrain: Africa is no longer waiting for someone to set a meeting. It is creating its own paths. This moment is not an alignment of events. It is a shift: a Southern entrepreneurial generation that sees itself as a model. And what next? It is being invented — and ideally, on African soil.
