The EMERGING Valley 2025 Summit, scheduled for November 26 in Aix-Marseille-Provence, is a major Euro-African event focused on digital innovation, sustainability, and ethical technology, aiming to strengthen Africa-Europe collaboration.

African startups raised over USD 3.2 billion in 2024, highlighting the continent's vibrant innovation ecosystem that the summit seeks to connect with global investors.

The summit aims to deepen innovation ties between Africa and Europe, emphasizing Africa's growing role in global technological investment and responsible AI development led by countries like Rwanda, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria.

A key focus will be on African artificial intelligence, showcasing success stories in health, agriculture, and education, with an emphasis on local ingenuity and ethical AI solutions.

Core topics include sustainable finance, impact investing, green tech ecosystems, and AI's role in addressing real-world challenges such as climate change, healthcare, and agriculture.

Delegations from several African countries and, for the first time, from Ukraine, Moldova, and Armenia from the EU Eastern Partnership, will attend, highlighting regional cooperation.

The summit will feature high-level investor dialogues, startup pitches, B2B workshops, and matchmaking sessions to foster new investment opportunities.

Over 70 countries, 1,300 participants, 150 startups, and 60 international investors are expected to attend, emphasizing Africa’s increasing influence in global innovation.

The event highlights impact-driven investment models that link financial returns to social and environmental outcomes, promoting transparency and ethical practices in Africa’s growing tech scene.

The event underscores a shift in European investment strategies from aid to partnership models emphasizing co-creation, local ownership, and mutual benefits, positioning the Global South as a hub for innovation.

Key investors from Europe, Africa, Japan, Qatar, and the US, including notable venture capitalists and impact investors, will participate, reinforcing EMERGING Valley as a hub for transcontinental investment.

Marseille’s strategic location and digital infrastructure, including submarine cables and initiatives like Provence Africa Connect, make it a vital gateway for African-European digital collaboration.

The Provence Africa Connect Prize, a Euro-African innovation competition, will reward projects fostering cooperation between Europe and Africa, with applications open until November 10, 2025.