The Kuo Sharper Center for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will increase support for Africa-based startups as part of an effort to strengthen innovation-driven entrepreneurship across the continent.
This commitment was reiterated during a courtesy visit by the 2025-2026 Quo Sharp Foundry Fellowship delegation led by the Center’s Executive Director, Dina Sherif, to the Vice President of Nigeria, Kassim Shettima, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Sherif explained that the delegation is in Nigeria in connection with the Kuo Sharp Foundry Fellowship Program, which she says plays an important role in embedding a culture of entrepreneurship across Africa. She assures that the center will remain dedicated to “fueling the engines of entrepreneurship around the world.”
In her remarks, Vice President Shettima highlighted the impact of MIT’s global innovation ecosystem, describing it as a model for leveraging entrepreneurship to drive inclusive economic growth. He points out that MIT’s Entrepreneurship Network has raised more than $1.5 billion in funding and created more than 30,000 direct jobs over the past 20 years.
She said the fellowship will support founders through access to global networks, knowledge exchange and capacity-building opportunities designed to help startups scale sustainably. She also pointed to Nigeria’s strong performance in the African innovation sector and emphasized the importance of cooperation among African startups.
“Nigeria is a developed country, as evidenced by the progress recorded by start-ups across the continent,” says Sherif.
She also guaranteed deeper engagement and stronger support for African founders and pledged to increase support for Africa-based start-ups through the Centre’s various initiatives and programmes.
In her remarks, Vice President Shettima highlighted the impact of MIT’s global innovation ecosystem, describing it as a model for leveraging entrepreneurship to drive inclusive economic growth. He points out that MIT’s Entrepreneurship Network has raised more than $1.5 billion in funding and created more than 30,000 direct jobs over the past 20 years.
The Vice President called for greater cooperation among African professionals and entrepreneurs, and stressed the need for continental unity to achieve shared prosperity.
“Africa is a new frontier and the future belongs to the continent. But Africans must come together to transform potential into concrete results that impact lives and livelihoods,” says Shettima. “Africa is endowed with vast human and material resources, but to reap the maximum benefits from the vast opportunities that abound across the continent, Africans need to unite as one.”
The MIT Kuo Sharper Center for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship (formerly known as the Legatum Center) is MIT’s flagship center dedicated to advancing innovation-driven entrepreneurship as a catalyst for economic development across the world’s growth markets.
