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The Problem
Africa has talent. What it lacks is a functioning market for that talent to connect with the problems it is best placed to solve. Research institutions across the continent are producing capable graduates and early-career researchers — but structural disconnects between universities, industry, and international research networks mean that most of this talent is underutilised, underfunded, and invisible to the global R&D ecosystem.
At the same time, organisations working on Africa’s most pressing challenges — in health, agriculture, climate, and technology — are struggling to find and engage local research capacity. They default to importing expertise because no reliable mechanism exists to surface what is available on the continent. The result is a self-reinforcing cycle: African research remains underfunded, under-connected, and undervalued
What Thinkng is
Thinkng is a digital platform designed to break that cycle. It functions as a broker between research talent and industry demand — connecting skilled researchers and innovators in African higher institutions with domestic and international organisations that need their capabilities. It is being built with three core functions:
- A talent marketplace that surfaces African research capacity to domestic and global industry partners
- A capacity-building infrastructure that strengthens the research and analytical skills of early-career researchers and innovators
- A capital facilitation mechanism that helps channel private sector investment into R&D initiatives on the continent
Where we are
ThinkNg has completed its market analysis, strategic blueprint, and MVP development. We have developed the talent development framework, the industry-partnership model, and the technology architecture. The platform is in active development and we are currently building the partnerships required to take it to full operation and scale.
Why This Matters For Africa's Development
The ambition behind ThinkNg is not just a platform business. It is a structural intervention in how Africa participates in global knowledge production and innovation. A continent that cannot generate, apply, and commercialise its own research will remain dependent on external solutions to internally understood problems. ThinkNg is designed to begin changing that — at scale, from the inside.
Who We Are Looking For
ThinkNg is at the stage where the right partnerships will determine its trajectory. We are actively seeking:
- Strategic Partners — Universities, research institutions, and innovation hubs across Africa who want to connect their talent to global opportunity. We are looking for anchor institutional partners who will be part of shaping the platform as it scales.
- Enterprise Partners — Technology organisations with experience building marketplace platforms, talent infrastructure, or research management systems. We are looking for partners who bring technical capability and share our commitment to building for the African context.
- Funding Partners — Development finance institutions, foundations, and impact investors committed to strengthening Africa’s research and innovation ecosystem. We are looking for partners willing to fund not just the platform but the longer-term mission it serves.
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