What is the GSMA Mobile Innovation Hub?
The GSMA and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) share a common vision: To foster a sustainable and inclusive digital transformation that improves the livelihood of people and the sustainability of our planet worldwide.
To create impact on the ground, GSMA and GIZ established the Mobile Innovation Hub (MIH) in Tunisia and Indonesia to reap the benefits of the mobile economy and to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by catalysing the digital and mobile local ecosystem for socio-economic, climate and environmental impacts in selected low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Mobile Innovation Hubs are closely aligned with the local Digital Transformation Centers which are implemented by GIZ on behalf of BMZ. Until 2023, BMZ is aiming to expand its network to up to 32 Digital Transformation Centers globally.
Our Mission
The mission of the GSMA Mobile Innovation Hub is to assess opportunities for creating socio-economic impact through mobile digital innovations, foster partnerships among the local digital/mobile ecosystem players to provide capacity building on the role of digital for good, and advocate for enabling environments.
Our focus areas depend on the opportunities and needs of each country which the Mobile Innovation Hub operates in and so far, includes:
- Platform economy (Tunisia)
- Digital and financial inclusion (Tunisia)
- ClimateTech (Indonesia)
Across the focus areas, the Mobile Innovation Hub is providing a menu of support options including landscaping studies, technical assistance to the mobile ecosystem (including coaching, workshops, building partnership among stakeholders), national dialogue(s) between private and public sectors, and capacity building.
The GSMA Mobile Innovation Hub – Tunisia
In 2020, the GIZ partnered with the GSMA to create a Mobile Innovation Hub, as part of the Digital Transformation Center Tunisia, implemented by the GIZ. Together with the Tunisian government and the local digital ecosystem, GIZ and the GSMA collaborate on the development of mobile digital solutions and the promotion of the platform economy across various sectors, with specific emphasis on creating decent employment, improvement of job quality and livelihoods.
The primary focus areas of the Mobile Innovation Hub Tunisia are to:
- Stimulate the mobile platform economy as a new business model across relevant sectors in Tunisia, connecting supply with demand and in doing so, creating more employment opportunities, formalising the informal economy and creating decent work opportunities;
- Support the Tunisian government and society in the COVID-19 pandemic’s recovery phase and building its resilience to future crisis;
- Assist Tunisian operators and other ecosystem partners in reducing the mobile internet usage gap; and
- Support for the development of a thriving mobile financial services ecosystem.
The Mobile Innovation Hub in Tunisia has launched an acceleration programme ‘Platforms for Tomorrow‘. The programme will support innovators, from different sectors in Tunisia, that champion the platform economy business model. Learn more about the programme here.
Thank you to everyone who submitted an application for ‘Platforms for Tomorrow’. Applications are now closed and we are no longer accepting new submissions.
The GSMA Mobile Innovation Hub – Indonesia
In 2021, the GSMA expanded the partnership with GIZ to Indonesia, to join the local Digital Transformation Center with a focus on Climate Action. The goal of this collaboration is to identify mobile enabled digital tech solutions and innovations that could support Indonesia‘s climate mitigation and adaptation ambitions. Together with the Indonesian government and local stakeholders, the Mobile Innovation Hub works across multiple focus areas that sit at the intersection of mobile, digital innovation, sustainable development, and climate action.
The primary focus areas of the Mobile Innovation Hub Indonesia are around:
- Sustainable energy and green economic development;
- Digitalisation of waste management (with a focus on plastic recycling and e-waste); and
- Natural resource management (NRM).
The Mobile Innovation Hub Indonesia has just launched a three-month incubation programme, Mobile Innovation Hub: Energy Action for Sustainable Transformation (MIH EAST), aimed at early stage start-ups focusing on clean energy and energy-enabled digital solutions based in Indonesia.
Thank you to everyone who submitted an application for the programme. Applications are now closed and we are no longer accepting new submissions. Learn more about the programme here.
Open bids
The GSMA Mobile Innovation Hub – Indonesia is looking to contract multiple suppliers to facilitate our climate projects.
- We are looking for a supplier to assist the participatory mapping of sea and coastal areas in North Kalimantan, Indonesia aiming the digitalisation of mangrove conservation in long-term. Download the Request for Proposal (RfP) document here.
- We are looking for two suppliers to carry out Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) activities for two projects in Indonesia; one under the Energy and Waste sector and the other under the Natural Resources Management (NRM) sector.
Please download the relevant RfP and submit your proposal for the project by completing Section 3 in the RfP, and sending it to ecosystemaccelerator@gsma.com.
Closed bids
– A supplier to support the implementation of a small-scale targeted incubation programme for innovators and entrepreneurs with the focus on renewable energy and energy-enabled digital solutions. Download the Request for Proposal (RfP) document here.
– To enhance the knowledge of mobile-enabled digital solutions to combat climate change in Indonesia, we are developing and providing digital and climate literacy content. This content will mostly target coastal communities and local governments where the projects will be implemented, and the delivery methods of the contents may vary depending on the need of the targeted groups. Therefore, we are looking for a supplier with an expertise to develop the digital and climate literacy content outlined in the Request for Proposal (RfP) document and deliver the content to the targeted groups in the required formats.
The RfP is available to download here. Please confirm your intent to submit a proposal for the project by completing Section 3 in the RfP and sending it to apradipta@gsma.com by 9 January, 2023.
The Mobile Innovation Hub is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and supported by the GSMA and its members.
If you have any interest in partnering with us and/or further questions, please email ecosystemaccelerator@gsma.com!