Brussels, Belgium – 23 October 2025
The Youth Café, a core member of the Africa–Europe Innovation Platform (AEIP) Consortium, took centre stage at the highly anticipated Africa–Europe Innovation Fair 2025, a flagship event organised by the European Commission in partnership with the African Union (AU) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). Held under the unifying theme “Enabling That Step Forward,” the Fair brought together cutting-edge research, policy leadership, and market-ready innovation across Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean.
For The Youth Café, the Fair served as a catalytic moment, transforming high-level dialogue into real opportunities for young innovators and spotlighting the pivotal role of youth in driving intercontinental innovation agendas.
A Vibrant Global Stage for Youth-Led Innovation
Hosted at Maison de la Poste in Brussels, the event drew over 500 in-person participants and more than 200 virtual attendees, many of whom were under the age of 40, demonstrating the event’s strong youth appeal.
The Fair advanced the 10-year AU–EU Innovation Agenda (2023–2033), which positions youth as central actors in addressing global challenges such as digital transformation, climate resilience, public health, and inclusive entrepreneurship.
The Youth Café seized the opportunity to engage directly with stakeholders, innovators, and policy leaders, reinforcing its mission to ensure that youth voices shape the upcoming Youth Entrepreneurship Playbook.
From Policy to Practice: Setting the Agenda
Morning sessions featured high-level interventions from senior representatives of the European Commission, AUDA-NEPAD, and the UfM. These discussions outlined a shared commitment to collaboration across continents.
For The Youth Café, the key value lay in analysing how policy commitments can be translated into practical support mechanisms, especially those that empower young entrepreneurs seeking to scale ideas across borders.
Youth Innovation Takes the Spotlight: Pitching Rounds
The heart of the Fair pulsed with three dynamic pitching rounds. The Youth Café closely followed each round as part of its mandate to identify promising youth-led solutions for integration into the Youth Entrepreneurship Playbook.
1. Open Innovation Challenge: Empowering Start-Up Growth
Eighteen start-ups, SMEs, and spin-offs presented solutions aligned with AU-EU priorities. All participants received incubation prizes, and top performers earned exclusive access to investor pitches an approach that reduces risk for early-stage innovators, a key recommendation The Youth Café will highlight in the Playbook.
2. Business Support Organisations (BSOs) Showcase
Nine BSOs pitched their unique models for supporting enterprise development. For The Youth Café, these organisations are vital capacity-building hubs. Insights gathered will inform strategies for cross-continental twinning and strengthening youth innovation ecosystems.
3. R&I Projects Scaling Impact
Sixteen collaborative Research & Innovation projects, from Horizon Europe to PRIMA and EDCTP2, demonstrated how partnerships transform scientific research into societal solutions. These examples will help young innovators understand how to access major funding programmes, an area the Playbook aims to simplify.
Matchmaking, Mentorship, and New Youth Connections
The afternoon "Fair Space" transformed into a lively innovation marketplace featuring 50+ booths with prototypes, live demos, and one-on-one matchmaking.
The Youth Café focused on meeting high-potential youth innovators working in fields such as digital health, climate-smart agriculture, and ethical AI. Many will be featured as case studies and best practices within the Playbook.
Celebrating Success: Supporting Entrepreneurs to Scale
The Fair concluded with an awards ceremony officiated by dignitaries including Kenya’s Ambassador to the EU, H.E. Prof Bitange Ndemo. Key outcomes included:
18 entrepreneurs selected for tailored AEIP support to scale their innovations.
Winner visibility boosted through the Euroquity – Bpifrance investor platform.
Six innovators granted exclusive investor-pitch opportunities via the SEADE R&I project.
These outcomes affirm the Fair’s role as a launchpad for entrepreneurial growth.
Looking Forward: Strengthening Youth Innovation Across Continents
The Africa–Europe Innovation Fair 2025 demonstrated the power of collaboration and the urgent need to invest in youth-driven solutions. For The Youth Café, the event reinforced the organisation’s pivotal role in shaping intercontinental innovation ecosystems.
By leveraging new partnerships, insights, and youth-led case studies, The Youth Café is now better positioned to deliver a Youth Entrepreneurship Playbook that will empower the next generation of African and European innovators to take meaningful steps toward a more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future.