mAkE - African European Maker Innovation Ecosystem

It’s hard to truly capture the incredible experience I had at the AfriLabs Annual Gathering, the Africa Makerspaces Ecosystem Gathering, and my overall stay in Cape Town last November. I am deeply grateful to the mAkE - African European Maker Innovation Ecosystem team, the Afrilabs Makerspace Track organizers, and all the participants who made my Cape Town experience so meaningful and inspiring. There was so much to see, learn, and celebrate! In this blog post, I’ve attempted to reflect on my experiences and share insights into the vibrant and growing maker ecosystem in Africa. I hope it offers you a glimpse into what we’re striving to achieve on the continent and inspires you to support and join us on this exciting journey. A heartfelt thanks to the Fab City Foundation for the opportunity to represent and contribute to this incredible effort. https://lnkd.in/dtH-Wj9e

Makers in Residency 2024. was an amazing experience that I'll never forget with mAkE - African European Maker Innovation Ecosystem and Global Innovation Gathering I participated in a month-long residency program southern france, where developed a smart calendar prototype . This experience allowed me to immerse myself in a creative environment and explore new artistic avenues. Just reminiscing about my amazing time at Maker in Residency! Check it out! https://lnkd.in/dQPEK_UR https://lnkd.in/dhgtZetC

🛎 2 days left to submit your abstract for the 2025 Distributed Design publication! 🚀 Driving Design Volume III, the final edition in our series, centers on how our community is reimagining the design paradigm through the (re)distribution of making, knowledge, value, and power. 🌐 Each publication in this series aims to inspire, share collective visions, and demonstrate the many ways Distributed Design is practised locally and globally. ⏳ Submit until 17th November: https://lnkd.in/d-RFEE7X · · · #DistributedDesign #OpenCall #CreativeEurope #DesignInnovation #DrivingDesign #makermovement #fablabs Fab Lab Barcelona Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia

Makerspaces in Africa are creating a new Africa of innovation bundled in digitalisation and hardware. Come join us today at Afrilabs Gathering in Cape, CTICC, as we share the great work of makerspaces addressingAfrican challenges for industrialised and sustainable communities. #AAG2024 #UnitingInnovation #AfriLabsGathering #AAGSouthAfrica #AAGCapeTown

❗ 13 days left to submit an abstract for the 2025 Distributed Design publication 🚀 Driving Design Volume III, the final edition in our series, centers on how our community is reimagining the design paradigm through the (re)distribution of making, knowledge, value, and power. 👥 The call for abstracts is open to anyone exploring the field of Distributed Design: from makers and designers, citizens and communites, to researchers and policy makers. First time and seasoned contributors alike are welcome. 🎨 We're also now welcoming visual and graphic-based submissions, alongside text 📅 Submit your abstract by November 17, 2024, here: https://lnkd.in/d-RFEE7X · · · #DistributedDesign #OpenCall #CreativeEurope #DesignInnovation #DrivingDesign #makermovement #fablabs Fab Lab Barcelona Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia

💡 How Can We Support Maker Ecosystems to be Sustainable and Solve Local Problems? 🗣 On October 3rd, 2024, during the Ghana Digital & Innovation Week, I was privileged to join a panel discussion alongside Joseph Agyina, Makerspace Community Building Champion, Yaw Adu-Gyamfi of the Ghana Hubs Network, Samuel Boadi-Duah from Africa Open Science and Hardware ( AfricaOSH), and Jeremy Acquah, Maker and Robotics Engineer. 📌 The panel, titled “Shaping the Future of Makerspaces: Recommendations for Policy Makers,” explored how the implementation of the mAkE Common Policy Agenda—co-created by the Africa Makerspace Network - Official and the Fab City Foundation—can transform makerspaces across Africa. 📌 The discussion also highlighted how maker communities, like the Suame Magazine in Kumasi, Ghana, can benefit from this policy to boost their productivity and position them as critical innovators capable of meeting community-specific needs. ... 🌍 The mAkE - African European Maker Innovation Ecosystem project has facilitated collaborations with a diverse range of stakeholders—makers, policymakers, international organizations, and foundations—to develop resources, capacity-building programs, and the infrastructure necessary to support makerspaces. Moreover, global dialogues facilitated by the project ensure that makers have a voice in shaping policies that impact their ecosystems. ... 📅 I am excited that we will continue these conversations at the Makerspace Track sessions during the upcoming AfriLabs Gathering 2024 in Cape Town from 6th to 8th November, where we will explore opportunities in the Makerspace Ecosystem. 🤝 The mission is clear: to drive sustainability within maker ecosystems and to promote local production in Africa, Europe, and beyond. We invite you to support makerspaces globally; review the Common Policy Agenda and leave your feedback - https://lnkd.in/dzkbtAKH! #makerspaces #policy #sustainabledevelopment #innovation