Westerwelle Foundation

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Westerwelle Foundation

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We empower entrepreneurs in Africa, Asia & Latin America. How do we do this? Through our startup hubs and support programmes.

The Westerwelle Foundation was founded in 2013 by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Guido Westerwelle and entrepreneur Ralph Dommermuth. At its core the Westerwelle Foundation aims at strengthening democracy and economies by creating opportunities for young people in emerging countries. We currently have four startup hubs in Africa: Tunisia, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya. Each Westerwelle Startup Haus offers co-working, capacity building and access to the local startup community. Our programmes support startups all the way from ideation to international acceleration. Our flagship programme is the Young Founders Programme, accelerating 50 founders from Asia, Africa and Latin America per year and ending with a conference in Berlin for the top entrepreneurs.

05/10/2026

When a company sends customer data across borders, "can we trust this market with our data?" is a pretty important question.

And for BPO companies handling customer information every day, it's naturally part of the business model. That's why the EU-Kenya data adequacy process is important.

An EU adequacy decision would recognise Kenya's already strong and growing BPO sector as providing an adequate level of data protection, making it simpler for European companies to move personal data across borders and work with Kenyan BPO providers.

Through the BPO KaziBridge project, we're helping strengthen the sector from both sides: preparing employer-informed talent while also supporting BPO providers to meet international buyer requirements.

Applications for the second phase are now open for Kenyan BPO/ITES providers looking to strengthen their export readiness and connect with qualified UK buyers.

BPO KaziBridge is implemented by Westerwelle Startup Haus Mombasa, BPOAK, and Edge Three Sixty Ltd., and supported by UK-Kenya Tech Hub through the FCDO Digital Access Programme.

Apply here; https://airtable.com/appYu46hQOrOcSsE7/pagx4WYInpCk5mw1m/form

30/09/2026

More business bridges being built between Rwanda and Germany?🤔

Greetings from Kigali👋 Paul spent the week with our team, getting to know the new faces, meeting with partners to create new programmes, and joining the activities of our FutureMakers programme, supported by United Internet for Unicef.

At the same time, Kigali welcomed OMR Travel's very first Executive Travel delegation.

It brought German and Swiss entrepreneurs and business leaders to Rwanda to explore opportunities across tech, innovation, talent, infrastructure, capital, and real estate.

Paul and Sarah joined one of the networking evenings and had some great conversations around what's being built in Kigali and where the strongest opportunities are for collaboration between Germany and Rwanda. On that note, thanks to Simon Sondern, the curater and local host, for the invitation.

Rwanda has established itself as a hub for business and we're happy to see more German businesses taking interest. We'll keep doing our part to build those bridges 🇩🇪🇷🇼💙

Big shoutout to the Westerwelle Startup Haus Kigali team for their great work the past months.

25/09/2026

We’ve been working with Tanzanian founders since 2022, and a lot has changed.

There are more founders, more support organisations, more activity outside Dar es Salaam, and a younger pipeline coming through universities.

But growth also brings a different question: what does the ecosystem need to help more of that activity turn into companies that can scale?

From the founders and partners we’ve worked with across Arusha and beyond, we’ve seen the progress, the gaps and the opportunities up close.

So we pulled together a few things we’ve learned about Tanzania’s startup ecosystem, from where founders are emerging to where capital is flowing and what still needs strengthening.

Shoutout to our team on the ground at Westerwelle Startup Haus Arusha 💙

22/09/2026

So, why Kenya?

That's what we asked the Kenyan BPO delegation when they were in London last week.

These were themes that kept coming up:

🔹 Digital Infrastructure: Growing connectivity, data centres, and a digital ecosystem already serving global markets.

🔹 Effective Communication: Strong English-language skills, customer-facing experience, and an increasingly capable pool for more complex work.

🔹 Data Protection: A strengthening data protection and cybersecurity environment, including Kenya's growing credentials around international data flows.

🔹 A Clearer BPO Framework: With a national BPO policy now in place, the sector has a stronger foundation for international companies looking to engage.

🔹 Moving up the value chain: As AI reshapes frontline work, Kenyan BPOs are looking towards second- and third-level services, including more technical and operational roles.

And with European companies facing their own growing demand for digital and technical talent, the timing of this conversation felt pretty relevant.

We were glad to be in the room and hear directly from the people building Kenya's BPO sector about where they see the opportunity 💙

Thanks to the UK-Kenya Tech Hub for enabling the programme.

KaziBridge is delivered by Westerwelle Startup Haus Mombasa with BPOAK-Business Processes Outsourcing Association, Kenya, supported by UK International Development through the Digital Access Programme’s UK-Kenya Tech Hub

17/09/2026

Greetings from London! What happens when Kenyan tech talent meets UK demand? We’re in here to find out 🇬🇧🇰🇪

This week, five Kenyan BPO providers are in London as part of BPO KaziBridge, a programme designed to help firms understand UK buyer needs, build commercial relationships, and explore long-term collaboration opportunities.

With us in London are GCS Global Capability, Adept Technologies, Nakama Tech Ltd, Yelbridges, and finsolution_consultants, alongside BPOAK and UK-Kenya Tech Hub.

Across the week, the delegation is meeting UK startups, BPO buyers, industry and ecosystem partners in the UK BPO sector.

One of the highlights was a networking event graciously hosted by the Kenya High Commission in London that is championing Kenya as a global services destination.

For Kenya’s growing digital services sector, these conversations matter. International market access can mean new contracts, stronger delivery partnerships, and more opportunities for skilled digital jobs.

We’ll be sharing more from the London immersion as the week unfolds 💙

The programme is delivered by Westerwelle Startup Haus Mombasa with BPOAK, supported by UK International Development through the Digital Access Programme’s UK-Kenya Tech Hub.

16/09/2026

With all the hype, where's Africa's AI startup funding actually going? 🤔

According to Africa: The Big Deal, in H1 2026, AI companies of any kind took only about 14% of the continent's startup funding. Genuinely AI-native ventures: under 2%.

Half of that money went to fintech, for credit scoring, fraud and payments. A quarter went to deep tech, mostly at seed and pre-seed stage.

It's also concentrated: 86% of AI funding landed in just four countries, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa and Kenya, compared to about 58% of all African startup funding they receive.

Globally, AI now commands a large share of seed dollars. In Africa, it's still the reverse.

Where are the biggest opportunities? What would it take to close that gap?

09/09/2026

Opening of Afrika Verein's new Africa Business Hub in Berlin 💐

For international collaboration to take place, we need organisations building bridges of knowledge and connections across continents.

The Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft has been doing this work for over 90 years.

What the Hub does is creates a physical space for these conversations, a permanent home for German-African business and political exchange, right at the centre of where decisions get made in Germany.

We believe in collaboration and that we can achieve more by building stronger networks together.

That's why we applaud the work of the Afrika Verein and were glad to have our Director of Community and Marketing, Ida Huiskonen in the room when the space was officially opened in Berlin on Monday.

Huge congratulations to Claudia Voß, Sabine Dall'Omo, Khadi Camara, Katarina Kunert, Wiebke Polomka, the whole Afrika-Verein team, and everyone who's been making this work possible💙

Photo credits: Juliane Sonntag | Photothek

08/09/2026

Rejoice blessed us with her presence in Berlin. We immediately put on our tour guide hats and got to work 🧢

We took the responsibility of being her guides very seriously (some of us more than others). The city showed up though, and so did the team 💙

07/09/2026

Tanzania's innovation ecosystem is scattered across the country, but last week it came together in Dar es Salaam, under one roof, for a shared conversation.

At Innovation Week Tanzania 2026, our team at WSHA co-hosted the session on universities as drivers of transformation, looking at how student-led ventures are built and what support actually helps them grow.

Over 140 people showed up. Four alumni shared what it really takes to run a business while still at university. University hub managers spoke candidly about what's working on the ground. A regional exchange with Enos Masinde Weswa, Country Director at the UK-Kenya Tech Hub connected the dots across East Africa.

It's a small window into a much bigger picture: a growing, connected ecosystem of universities, founders, and partners building the next generation of Tanzanian enterprise.

Thank you to FUNGUO Innovation Programme, UNDP Tanzania, StartHub Africa, and the FCDO East Africa Research & Innovation Hub for making this work possible.

Thanks to our WSHA team on the ground

31/08/2026

When German companies think about sustainable tourism partners, Kenya should always be on the list 🌍

Through the Kijani Enterprise Cooperation Lab (KECL), we're supporting Kenyan enterprises as they strengthen the governance and operational systems needed to grow and build new partnerships.

Meet the tourism businesses in the cohort 🌍

🦒 Fidex Car Hire & Safaris, founded by Jennifer Wanzina, creates tourism experiences that connect conservation, community impact, and youth empowerment.

✈️ Zennia Group Travels, founded by Pauline Achando, offers customised travel experiences through a digital-first approach that reduces paper use and improves customer experience.

Both businesses show how sustainability can be built into tourism while creating economic opportunities locally.

Know a German company working in food, agriculture, sustainable supply chains, or related sectors that should know these businesses? Reach out to us 💙

Adresse

Torstraße 201
Berlin
10115

Website

http://www.westerwelle-foundation.com/

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