The African Makerspace Ecosystem Gathering's (AMEG) objective was to bring together stakeholders, including makerspace managers, innovators, students, policymakers, foundations & donors to foster knowledge sharing, partnership building & co-creation between African makerspaces. Over 70 individuals were present at the gathering, highlighting the need and interest in advancing the makerspace ecosystem in Africa. The AMEG was hosted by Fadia Elgharib, Community Lead at GIG, and a strong proponent of makerspaces in Egypt.
The gathering has been an essential step in uniting stakeholders in African makerspaces, laying the foundations for future collaborations to support lasting change and sustainable growth. The in-person networking fostered strong and genuine connections and collaborations between stakeholders, cultivating an approach of knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer learning. During the event, these strong, genuine, face-to-face relationships led to spontaneous idea generation, co-creation and the establishment of lasting partnerships between African makerspaces. As a result, resource sharing has emerged as a core principal for advancing the ecosystem; already, some makers have proposed continuous learning, sharing expertise and tools. The gathering has facilitated community building and collaboration both within and across countries, as shown in the connection between Kumasi Hive Makerspace, Triple Dimension and the Design and Technology Institute in Ghana, who have maintained their relationship since the gathering, sharing ideas and fostering ongoing collaboration.
The AMEG made it clear the importance of establishing a member organisation dedicated to serving the interests of African makerspaces. Through the creation of a unified platform for advocacy, resource sharing and collective bargaining, the makerspaces strengthen their collective voice in policy discussions, ensuring that their needs and challenges are addressed regionally and nationally.
After the success of this years gathering, the creation of an annual in-person event is highly recommended. Makerspaces are also in favour of continuous training for makerspaces to support capacity building within communities. Moreover, a monthly community call would foster ongoing collaboration and communication between African Makerspaces, it would help to maintain the momentum of the gathering and all the great work done there, to allow makerspaces to share updates, exchange best practices and address challenges collectively.
