At the BRAIN Accelerator in Stellenbosch, Climate Panel explored a defining question: Where does Africa stand in sustainable manufacturing, and how can deep tech enable the transition?
The conversation brought together policy, academia, founders, and ecosystem builders. It unfolded in two parts. First, an honest assessment of structural challenges. Then, a clear call to action.
Why Manufacturing Matters Now
Manufacturing represents one of Africa’s highest potential growth engines. It absorbs large amounts of labor, creates measurable economic value, and serves as a proving ground where innovation can be tested and scaled. At the same time, Africa still represents a small percentage of global manufacturing output. Climate pressure adds urgency. Industrial growth can no longer be separated from sustainability.
This is not simply about building more factories. It is about building differently from the start.
The panel featured:
Chifae Laazouzi, Open Startup Partnership Officer, Moderator
Brandon Paschal, LaunchLab portfolio lead
Prof. Christina Trois, Stellenbosch University
CJ van Rooyen, Octoco
Mwiche Mukoma, Founder - Green Giraffe (a BRAIN Cohort startup)
The Structural Realities
Climate Tech Is Foundational, Not Flashy
A key theme was the nature of climate technology itself. Unlike consumer software, climate tech solutions often operate high in the value chain. They serve governments and large enterprises, require longer sales cycles, and demand deeper technical specialization.
Brandon Paschal summarized it clearly: “Climate tech is not sexy. You are not selling to consumers. You are selling to governments and large enterprises.”
It is relatively easy to secure small checks for pilots. It is much harder to secure scale capital. Africa lacks sufficient mature investors locally, and international investors often underestimate how effectively African ventures deploy smaller rounds.
Yet performance data tells a different story. With seed rounds significantly smaller than United States equivalents, African ventures are demonstrating strong five-year survival rates. Efficiency and discipline are strengths, not weaknesses.
Fragmented Systems Require Interoperable Infrastructure
Scaling sustainable manufacturing requires data. Modeling supply chains, optimizing energy systems, and deploying AI solutions all depend on unified information architecture. Africa’s structural complexity presents a challenge.
CJ van Rooyen emphasized: “We have 55 countries, 30 languages, and fragmented regulatory systems. Without interoperable data, you cannot model supply chains at scale.”
The issue is not lack of talent or ambition. It is fragmentation. Open standards and interoperable systems must become foundational infrastructure. Deep tech is not only about applications. It is about the architecture beneath them.
Africa Is Early in the Energy Transition
Sustainable manufacturing cannot be separated from energy systems. Over two decades, Stellenbosch’s center under Prof. Christina Trois evolved from a focus on solar and wind to hydrogen, bioenergy, and decentralized systems.
Renewable energy investment in Africa now exceeds one billion dollars annually. Yet compared to Europe, which is decades into its transition, Africa is at the beginning.
Prof. Christina framed it this way: “Africa is at the beginning of the transition. Others may be 30 years ahead. That means we can design appropriately for our context.”
Being early allows the continent to avoid legacy constraints and build systems suited to local realities.
Traceability, Regulation, and Real-World Constraints
Sustainable manufacturing now extends beyond the factory floor. Global regulators are increasingly eliminating greenwashing and demanding verifiable traceability across supply chains.
Mwiche Mukoma noted: “Manufacturers cannot stay inside the plant. Traceability is no longer optional.”
Deep tech enables compliance automation and supply chain visibility. But solutions must account for infrastructure limitations. Many small farmers face limited connectivity and digital literacy challenges. Technology must meet users where they are.
The Deep Tech Commercialization Gap
Another structural challenge lies between research and market deployment. The traditional Technology Readiness Level pathway often moves too slowly in academic environments.
Prof. Christina was direct: “The path from TRL (Technical Readiness Level) 1 to TRL 9 takes too long. Universities must not remain traditional.”
Industry engagement must begin earlier. Commercial thinking must be integrated into research from the start. Sustainable manufacturing will not scale if innovation remains confined to papers rather than pilots.
The Call to Action
After addressing constraints, the panel shifted toward conviction.
Brandon shared portfolio data across 51 ventures that have collectively raised approximately one billion dollars. Despite smaller round sizes compared to the United States, outcomes remain strong. “We are getting it done with a quarter of the money.”
Africa is not underperforming. It is operating with capital efficiency. The opportunity now is to align confidence, commercialization depth, and appropriate growth capital.
The call to action centered on three priorities:
Adopt interoperable data standards to enable continent wide modeling and AI deployment
Accelerate university to industry pathways to shorten commercialization cycles
Match deep tech ventures with scale appropriate capital
Sustainable manufacturing in Africa is not a single technology problem. It is a systems challenge involving policy, infrastructure, capital, education, and data architecture.
Africa is early in its renewable transition. That is not a weakness. It is a strategic moment. The transition will not be imported. It will be designed locally, under constraint, and because of that, it may ultimately prove more resilient.
Grateful to the BRAIN accelerator, Open Startup International, Stellenbosch University, and the founders and ecosystem leaders building this next chapter.
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By Greg Knutson
MIT EMBA ‘26