LocationsFor Immediate Release
Africa’s Mining Tech on Stage: MineTech Accelerator Pitch Day
August 27, 2025
Ten startups from the inaugural MineTech Hub Accelerator cohort pitched for chance to be among the top 5 to win equity-free funding and a 3-month incubation for market access
Photo by: Mulapwa Mukopole/UNDP Zambia
Zambia, 27th August 2025 - The timbuktoo MineTech Accelerator Programme today concluded its intensive hybrid bootcamp, celebrating the ten startups selected from a competitive pool of 350+ applications. Following Demo Day presentations, the selection panel has begun final deliberations to determine the top five startups to receive seed funding recipients and embark on a three-month incubation programme to scale their solutions and prepare for increased market access. Hosted at the National Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research (NISIR) in Lusaka, the MineTech Hub forms part of UNDP’s pan-African timbuktoo initiative to catalyse technology-driven, sustainable mining across the continent.
Addressing the innovators, Hon. Felix C. Mutati, Minister of Technology and Science, said: “To the top 10 startups presenting today, you have proven that with vision and hard work, anything is possible. Your journey embodies a powerful truth captured in a Zambian proverb: ‘Cisale cinace cilafwena nkhani.’ ‘A small stone can make a big splash.’” He further highlighted the programme’s alignment with Zambia’s development priorities and the push to modernise and sustainably expand the mining sector, noting: “The timbuktoo MineTech Accelerator Programme is more than a project; it is a strategic investment.”
Building on the Government’s call to modernise the sector through innovation, UNDP emphasized that the MineTech Hub is a practical engine turning policy ambition into entrepreneur-led solutions.
“Today marks a significant milestone not only for the ten exceptional startups presenting but for the future of mining innovation across Africa,” said James Wakiaga, UNDP Resident Representative, underscoring the Hub’s role in translating bold ideas into development impact.
Natalie Jabangwe, CEO of the timbuktoo Foundation, called the day “a truly pivotal moment for the timbuktoo Foundation,” emphasising how the programme is designed to attract top startup talent from across the continent and nurture scalable, high-impact ventures contributing to a One Africa Market and beyond.
Over recent weeks, founders progressed from a 10-day in-person residency at NISIR to a one-month virtual bootcamp focused on refining MVPs, strengthening problem–solution fit, and pressure-testing business models with mentors and investors—delivered with support from BongoHive.
The seed funding announcement will be made soon. Stay tuned.
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For more information and media interviews, contact:
Salome Nakazwe, Head of Solutions Mapping – UNDP Accelerator Labs, Salome.nakazwe@undp.org
Mercy Khozi, Communications Analyst, mercy.khozi@undp.org
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