14 August 2009

Maker Faire Africa, an event focused on bringing together acts of ingenuity and inventions from across the Africa continent, has kicked off in Accra, Ghana. The 3-day event hopes to welcome about 900 participants.
ironworks_bellows
Iron workers in the Gikomba Region, Kenya, have used old bicycles as repurposed as bellows

The workshops, seminars and lectures will be focused on four key innovation areas: arts and crafts; robotics; agriculture and environment; and science and engineering.

"The event is designed to create a space on the continent where Afrigadget-type innovations, inventions and initiatives can be sought, identified, brought to life, supported, amplified, and propagated," said the organisers of the event in a statement.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the event, Emeka Okafor, co-founder of Maker Faire Africa (MFA), said the event is a chance to change the conversation about Africa from development to innovation. "We hope to tell the inventor on the street or the student that what he or she has invented is worth it. It will re-enforce people's passion to do more. We want to create a sense of community empowerment," he said.

"So often the world hears the bad news coming from the African continent. Maker Faire is a chance to highlight the innovation, entrepreneurship and opportunity that abounds in Africa," said Nii Simmonds, another co-founder of MFA, in a statement.

"With MFA we can create a space where the best and brightest can come together to support each other, exchange intellectual capital and find the resources they need to deliver products that fulfil the most basic to the most complex needs on the continent. And this is just the beginning."

The MFA is taking place at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT and will end on Sunday, 16 August 2009.
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