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 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH 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 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.
Find out more about the programme by reading out blogs or accessing our resources:
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!