Some days the ground is fertile to plant grass

It’s a 6am Saturday, and the rhythmic sound of rain on leaves is my invitation to stay tucked in bed. But today, I remember a promise: to fill the patchy gaps in my lawn with grass seed. Lawn care isn’t usually my thing; I was gently coerced into seeing the “issue” at all, and I can’t help but laugh at myself in several languages. Still, as I look at the rain-soaked earth, I realize this is the perfect time. The ground is wet, the conditions are right, and if ever there was a moment to plant, it’s now.

As I step outside, seeds in hand, I’m dialed into a conference call with a European policymaker and an ambitious African startup founder. Suddenly, my early morning gardening becomes more than a chore, it becomes a living analogy for the journey of an entrepreneurial venture in Africa. The parallels are everywhere: the seed is the idea, the soil is the enabling environment, and the water is the financing that helps both seed and soil flourish.

Every thriving lawn starts with a single seed, just as every successful business begins with an idea. In Africa, there’s no shortage of innovative thinkers, youthful energy, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit abound. But an idea alone, no matter how brilliant, is only the beginning, like a grass seed, it needs the right conditions to germinate and grow.

Here’s where the analogy gets real. You can have the best seeds in the world, but if you scatter them on dry, compacted earth, they won’t take root. In the business world, the “soil” is the policy and regulatory environment, the infrastructure, the networks, and the support systems surrounding entrepreneurs. Too often, investment in Africa is laser-focused on the seed (the idea) without much thought to the land it’s meant to grow in.

If the soil is rocky, full of barriers, or lacking nutrients, even the most promising business ventures will struggle. This is why creating an enabling environment is not just nice to have, it’s essential. Good policy is what breaks up the hard ground, removes the stones, and adds the nutrients that allow ideas to take root and flourish.

Of course, even the best-prepared soil and the healthiest seed need water. In the world of entrepreneurship, this is capital grants, investments, and catalytic funding that nourish both the idea and the environment around it. But here’s the catch: too often, funding in Africa is rigid, risk-averse, and leaves little room for experimentation. Yet, experimentation is the very essence of growth. Seeds need to branch out, adapt, and sometimes fail before they yield fruit.

Current investment trends in Africa often miss the mark. There’s a rush to back the next big idea, but little attention is paid to the activities that enrich the soil. This imbalance is a key reason for the high failure rate among African startups. Without fertile ground and regular watering, even the most promising seeds will wither.

Enter UNDP timbuktoo Africa: Cultivating the Whole Ecosystem

This is where timbuktoo Africa comes in, an initiative designed not just to scatter seeds, but to cultivate an entire farm. Think of timbuktoo as the gardener who understands that a healthy lawn requires more than just planting. It’s about preparing the land, nurturing the seedlings, and watering constantly to ensure a lush, thriving result.

• Unipods: Capacity Building for Seedlings. The journey starts in the Unipods, timbuktoo’s answer to nurturing the seed. Here, entrepreneurs receive training, mentorship, experimentation space, and the foundational skills needed to grow. It’s the equivalent of starting seeds in a greenhouse-protected, supported, and given every chance to sprout strong roots.
• Hubs: Creating Fertile Land. Next, the seedlings are transplanted into the hubs, incubators, and accelerators that provide a fertile environment for growth. These hubs are more than just co-working spaces; they’re vibrant communities where entrepreneurs receive business support, access to networks, and the policy guidance they need to navigate regulatory landscapes. It’s here that the soil is truly enriched and the roots deepen.
• Catalytic Funds: The Water That Sustains Growth. Watering is not a one-time event. The Catalytic Funds, through the timbuktoo Innovation Foundation, will ensure that the most promising business ventures continue to receive the financial nourishment they need. These groups of funds are designed to be flexible and risk-tolerant, supporting experimentation and allowing entrepreneurs to branch out, pivot, and find the path to value.
• Policy Impact Unit: Tending the Land for the Future. Finally, the Policy Impact Unit works tirelessly to ensure the soil remains fertile. By advocating for forward-thinking, responsive policies and working with governments to remove barriers, this unit ensures that the enabling environment keeps pace with the needs of innovators. It’s the ongoing care that keeps the lawn healthy season after season.

When all these elements come together, seed, soil, and water, the result is a thriving ecosystem. Business ventures don’t just survive; they flourish, creating jobs, driving innovation, and contributing to Africa’s broader development. The impact goes beyond individual companies; it’s about building a foundation for sustainable growth across the continent.

Imagine a lawn that was once patchy and brown, now lush and green. That’s the vision for Africa’s innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem: a landscape where ideas can take root, grow, and yield value for everyone.

Some days are for policy, for planning, and waiting. But some days, the ground is just right, the rain has fallen, the soil is soft, and the seeds are ready. Today, Africa stands at that moment. With programs like timbuktoo, the continent has the tools to prepare the land, nurture the seeds, and water the shoots. What’s needed now is the collective will to plant, to tend, and to believe in the combined harvest to come.

So, as I finish my morning planting, hands muddy and heart hopeful, I think about the innovative entrepreneurial endeavors across Africa. Each one is a seed with potential. With the right environment, the right support, and the right investment, there’s no limit to what can grow.

Let’s not wait for another rainy season. The ground is fertile now. Let’s plant.

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Oswald Osaretin Guobadia is a distinguished policy advisor with nearly three decades of experience driving digitalisation across Africa. He is the Managing Partner at DigitA, an Africa-based firm dedicated to advancing digital evolution on a global scale. In his previous role as the Senior Special Assistant on Digital Transformation to the Nigerian President, Oswald was instrumental in developing the Nigeria Startup Act.