On the occasion of World Day for Creativity and Innovation, the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) celebrated the winners of the first CAP Innovation cohort in Dakar on 21 April 2026. A ceremony that marks La Francophonie's transformation towards an economic and technological incubator role, placing youth at the heart of its action.
The Senegalese capital has become a laboratory for the future of La Francophonie. In the event space of the Sokhamon Hotel, on Nelson Mandela Avenue, diplomats, ministers and actors of the entrepreneurial ecosystem gathered around the Secretary General of the OIF, Louise Mushikiwabo. In opening the ceremony, she invoked the legacy of Léopold Sédar Senghor, founding father of the creative Francophonie, to better highlight the transition to an economic Francophonie: «We are no longer just in capacity building, we are in financing and scaling up. »
The CAP Innovation programme was the result of a broad consultation in 2020 with 10,000 young people from 134 countries. Three priorities had emerged: employment, education and the environment. These expectations are met today by the OIF, by accompanying concrete projects led by young Francophone entrepreneurs. Out of more than 3,100 applications, eight winners were recognized for their pragmatism and local impact.
Among them, Senegalese Mustapha Diop with its educational platform Jangalma, accessible offline, or Beninese Femi Abel Tankpinou with ECOZEM, a fleet of solar tricycles for urban transport. Congolese Jovianne Birindwa proposed SmartShamba, an IoT and IA solution to anticipate agricultural losses, while the Cambodian Borivath Tan fights malnutrition with its nutritional drink Nutri-Soy. Togolese E. Bonaventure Chaou trains rural youth in mobile journalism, and Moroccan Ghita Bensaid revolutionizes vocational training through immersive 3D.
Beyond the financial allocations (5,000 to 10,000 euros), CAP Innovation offers a true ecosystem: mentoring, international networking, access to investment and digital tools such as the Youth Portal or InsertYouth. The partners – Ecobank, EY, OFQJ, Government of New Brunswick, Green Nations Foundation, among others – bring a label of credibility and open up opportunities for growth. By officially launching the second edition of the competition, open until May 10, 2026, Louise Mushikiwabo sent a clear message: the Francophonie of tomorrow will not be limited to the sharing of a language, but to the sharing of technological successes and sustainable economic prosperity. Dakar will have been the starting point, symbol of a Francophonie that finances, propels and transforms.
Mamadou SY
