WenakLabs is a key player in Chad's entrepreneurial ecosystem. By helping innovative technology start-ups succeed, it contributes to the economic and social development of the country while stimulating innovation and creativity.
In the budding Chadian entrepreneurial ecosystem, tech hub WenakLabs is at the vanguard of innovation and creativity. The N’Djamena-based hub offers incubation, mentorship, and financing opportunities to innovative startups and helps individuals and businesses transform their ideas into flourishing companies.
It was born, in 2014, from the collaboration of Chadian bloggers, the French platform Mondoblog, the local network JerryClan Tchad and tech entrepreneur Abdelsalam Safi- who is currently the CEO of WenakLabs. Since then, it has worked closely with local and international partners such as AfriLabs, Oxfam, the French Institute, Moov Africa, Sahel Innov, and UNICEF to provide resources and tools to help Chadian entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses.
To encourage youth entrepreneurship, WenakLabs provides innovators with a fab lab and a media lab. The fab lab is an open-access digital production space, where digitally controlled machines are made available to the general public for the design and creation of physical objects following an open-space collaborative work model. This place is open to young people who want to acquire skills to quickly transform their ideas into physical prototypes.
The media lab provides an environment for incubatees and project leaders to communicate innovatively and effectively by using new technologies to process, visualize and share information. It also provides a means to disseminate reliable and engaging information to inspire communities to action.
The tech hub claims some 120 startups incubated and 70 projects developed in Chad. Its achievements include ZereSoft, a platform that aims to modernize agriculture and the rural world with 2.0 tools, DaTchad, a data journalism agency project, and Nomad Learning, an SMS-based learning platform.
The incubator regularly organizes programs and events such as the Startup Weekend N'Djamena and DENE MAGIC, a program held in 2022 that aims to provide digital skills to women to bring them closer to decent jobs. WenakLabs also advises, trains, and coaches socioeconomic and digital development actors in the country.
It strives to foster diversity and inclusion in the Chadian entrepreneurial ecosystem. It also promotes equal opportunities for all entrepreneurs, whether they are men or women, novices or experienced, regardless of their social background.
Melchior Koba
