Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) and PARIS&Co, the economic development and innovation agency of Paris, last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the ecosystem of tech startups.

The purpose of the MoU, which was signed in the presence of François Pujolas, the Ambassador of France to Ghana, is to establish a mutually beneficial relationship which fosters the growth of each of the parties' ecosystem by facilitating the circulation of startups between the two cities and also facilitating the circulation of information between the two parties.

The new partnership highlights the interest aroused by the Ghanaian entrepreneurial ecosystem and its qualities of innovation with French digital operators already present in Africa within the French Tech hubs of Abidjan and Cape Town.

According to a statement by the French Embassy in Ghana, France recognises Ghana's potential in new technologies and supports its ecosystem for start-ups.

“The Ghanaian entrepreneurial ecosystem is now in full development. Dynamic, innovative and pragmatic, Ghanaian entrepreneurs are the result of this new technological generation, which is evolving in a society in profound change. Accra is thus part of these dynamic, innovative cities, hosting many start-ups and incubators. The MEST, incubator and entrepreneurial school tech, is part of the Meltwater group. It is the flagship of the Ghanaian tech ecosystem,” the statement said.

France’s increasing role in the digitization in Africa

The signing of this agreement comes as France hosts the largest incubator in the world: ‘’Station F’’, a symbol of France’s role as a forerunner in the field of new technologies.

PARIS&Co is the economic development and innovation agency of Paris, which prospects and provides support for foreign direct investments, promotes the international attractiveness of Paris abroad, and fosters the Parisian innovation ecosystem through the incubation of startups, the experiment of new solutions, the organization of events and the cooperation between startups and global players.

“This agreement, which is the first in our bilateral relations, shows the increasing role of France in the digitisation of Africa. In the case of Ghana, young entrepreneurs have been and will be invited to France in order to support innovation”, said the French Ambassador on the occasion of the signing of the MoU between MEST Ghana and PARIS&Co.

As part of the ‘’France & Ghana 1957-2017: moving forward together’’ initiative, from June 1-9, the French embassy and its network of partner institutions are organising several digital events in Ghana dubbed: ‘’The French Digital June’’: a French language hackathon and digital innovation, a two-day forum regarding the: “Ghanaian Tech” and the “French digital”, which will be closed with an exhibition at Alliance Française Accra.