Over 50 Young Innovators Showcase Innovative Solutions at Regional Artificial Intelligence Bootcamp Closing.

The bootcamp closing, dubbed UniPod Innovation Day, held at the Conakry’s Chapiteau by Issa on Wednesday, 3 December 2025, brought together high-level officials and partners, including the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, the UNDP Resident Representative in Guinea, and the Ambassador of Japan, whose government provided the financial support for the programme, amongst other partners, investors, UN System staff and guests.

December 4, 2025

Conakry, Guinea - 3 December 2025: UniPod Guinea, hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), organised the closing ceremony of a four-week-long Regional Artificial Intelligence Bootcamp, a flagship initiative launched during the Transform Africa Summit 2025. After the four weeks of an intensive, hands-on programme aimed at strengthening their technical and entrepreneurial capacities and accelerating the development of AI-driven solutions, the over 50 young innovators happily showcased their innovative solutions.

The bootcamp closing, dubbed UniPod Innovation Day, held at the Conakry’s Chapiteau by Issa on Wednesday, 3 December 2025, brought together high-level officials and partners, including the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, the UNDP Resident Representative in Guinea, and the Ambassador of Japan, whose government provided the financial support for the programme, amongst other partners, investors, UN System staff and guests.

Group of people in yellow shirts posing for a photo in front of a banner, chairs in foreground.

Artificial intelligence bootcamp innovators pose with government officials, Japanese Ambassador, UNDP and other partners after showcasing innovative solutions.

In his remarks, the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, Alpha Bacar Barry, commended the Bootcamp for bringing together young people from across the continent and, above all, for showing Guinean youth that “they are not alone and that they are not behind.” He emphasised that these young innovators are part of a regional and African ecosystem that exchanges, communicates and inspires one another.

“I congratulate you, young people; you have already achieved the important milestone of reaching the prototyping stage. Our universities must work closely with the private sector, ensuring that young innovators have access to affordable and accessible financing—financing that tolerates failure and supports them beyond the prototype phase, until they secure their first clients and can become autonomous and grow.”

Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, Alpha Bacar Barry

Minister Alpha Bacar Barry also highlighted the growing role of UniPods in building a strong academic and technological ecosystem that empowers young people to conduct applied research, innovate and develop viable enterprises.

The UNDP Resident Representative, Anthony Ohemeng-Boamah, reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to supporting Africa’s digital transformation and the adoption of emerging technologies. He cited several examples from different participating countries of the innovative solutions developed by the participants to illustrate their creativity, resilience and leadership.

“These innovations show us that AI is not a luxury; it is a necessity for Africa’s development. It can make our economies more competitive, our societies more inclusive, and our governance more transparent.”

UNDP Resident Representative, Anthony Ohemeng-Boamah

The UNDP Resident Representative envisions a day when each region of Guinea will have a UniPod.

Reflecting on her active participation at a Youth Ministerial Townhall Meeting at the 2025 Transform Africa Summit hosted by Guinea, the Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, Rose Pola Pricemou, underscored that the rise of artificial intelligence closely aligns with the national digital transformation agenda, which prioritises improvements in connectivity and digital infrastructure.

The Telecommunications Minister also commended UNDP for accompanying Guinea in shaping its AI vision, strategy, and delivery. UNDP has supported an assessment of AI capacity, and the innovative solutions from young people are already bearing fruit. The AI bootcamp, she highlighted, has significantly helped young people believe in themselves and learn in other sectors, such as business planning.

She congratulated the youth for daring to participate in building Africa. She urged them to keep believing in themselves. Africa’s future is here and quickly evolving.

As the main donor of the Bootcamp, the Ambassador of Japan to Guinea, H.E. Mr Ryuichi Kato, expressed his satisfaction with the programme’s outcomes, noting that it enables young innovators to develop local solutions to context-specific challenges. He reaffirmed his commitment to continue connecting emerging African start-ups with Japanese companies.

He praised the Japan–Guinea–UNDP partnership, which reflects a shared vision of inclusive development through innovation.

Throughout the Bootcamp, young innovators worked with diverse and highly skilled facilitators and mentors to refine and develop prototypes across several key sectors. While five projects were showcased during the closing ceremony, other participants also presented their innovations to potential investors and will continue producing them within their respective UniPods.

By bringing together young innovators from Benin, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Rwanda, Senegal and Togo, the programme facilitated cross-country collaboration, peer learning, and strong connections among innovators, policymakers, investors, and private-sector actors.

This regional initiative strengthens the position of UniPods as leading university-based innovation hubs for AI and entrepreneurship across Africa, contributing to Timbuktoo’s vision of accelerating African talent and technology ecosystems at scale.