NEC Corporation has initiated the Africa Corporate Innovation Program, a new effort to collaborate with African startups and address social issues like agriculture and food security. This program is part of NEC's broader strategy to foster partnerships with startups through its global startup accelerator, the NEC Innovation Challenge.
The program is being developed in partnership with the Shell Foundation and Double Feather Partners (DFP), a venture capital firm. It aims to leverage NEC's technological capabilities and insights from global operations to enhance sustainable agriculture and food security in Africa.
Through the initiative, startups that can address key challenges in Africa will be selected to collaborate with NEC and its partners on proof-of-concept demonstration projects. These projects will utilize NEC's ICT platform CropScope to develop agricultural technologies, including logistics solutions from farm to market.
The program began in April 2026 and will run PoC projects through December 2026, with an evaluation of outcomes scheduled for March 2027. The initiative aims to explore mid- to long-term business development and strategic partnerships to establish sustainable co-creation models.
Masayuki Furukawa, Director of the Private Sector Development Group at JICA, emphasized the importance of strengthening startup ecosystems in Africa and enhancing collaboration between African and Japanese companies. He noted that the initiative leverages experience from the Next Innovation with Japan (NINJA) project.
Jonathan Berman, CEO of Shell Foundation, highlighted the need for partnerships that combine capital, technology, and local expertise to raise incomes and support a low-carbon pathway. He stated that the Africa Corporate Innovation Program aims to reduce collaboration risks and help NEC work alongside African startups to build scalable solutions.
Kohei Muto, CEO of Double Feather Partners, remarked that social challenges in Africa represent a frontier for innovation. He stated that the program connects Japanese technological strengths with African startups' innovation capabilities, aiming to build sustainable business models through impact investment and blended finance.
NEC will present the project at the SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 innovation conference, where it will discuss building Japan–Africa innovation through co-creation and investment. This presentation will include participation from JICA, Shell Foundation, Double Feather Partners, and other key stakeholders.
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