Entrepreneurship, Youth Development, Intro to Technology, Creative Industry; The French-Speaking Games are a combination of artistic and sporting events for French-speaking nations, held every four years since 1989. The next edition will be held in Kinshasa,  Democratic Republic of the Congo, on 23 July – 1 August 2025. If Global investors are aware of the challenging COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation which businesses are facing in Singapore and all over Asia, they should convert their innovation priorities into future African Singapore (Kigali in Rwanda) and see how startups partner with African ecosystems (Silicon Mountain, Jongo Hub, Zanzibar, Afrikanda).

I am delighted to meet Kevin LOGNONE (Ph.D.), Consultant, and Knowledge Partner of different startups companies all over the world. After traveling around 50 countries, he shared with me some exciting examples to inspire how we can turn the African Singapore of thousand hills into a multilinguistic connecting hub during the French-Speaking Games 2025 in Kinshasa. Together, CENTRAL AFRICA can become a huge Makers Valley Youth Expo between the English part and the French-speaking part of Africa.

I am very blessed to learn many global examples of successful cross border cooperation. Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi continues a remarkable heritage of academic excellence in the UAE that has been nurtured since the 12th century in Paris. Students benefit from 760 years of academic excellence and learn on a state-of-the-art campus on Al Reem Island in Abu Dhabi. The notion of French-Speaking World – Francophonie is by its nature inclusive. La Francophonie is by nature space where diversity flourishes. It acts not «against» a language but «for» diversity, multilingualism, and modernity.

Today, as in the past, la Francophonie is first and foremost a cultural and civilizational project. Its role in the adoption by the UNESCO of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions has gained it international acclaim. It has also initiated cooperation with other linguistic areas, (Portuguese, Spanish and Arabic-speaking areas) thus fostering dialogue among cultures. The OIF implements programs to support Francophone writers, filmmakers, musicians, and plastic and digital artists. It helps them disseminate their work throughout the world and gain access to international audiences and markets. It also supports the cultural policies and the cultural industries in Francophone countries and focuses particularly on exploiting the possibilities offered by digital technology. Through its flagship program of Centres for Rea-ding and Cultural Activities (CLAC) in rural and peri-urban areas, the OIF promotes reading for all as an essential means of acquiring knowledge.

During the London Olympic Games, British men’s gymnastics team joined hundreds of honing skills in purpose-built sports facilities a Eurostar ride away. It might have lost out to London for the honor of hosting the 2012 Olympics, but a corner of France has been quietly cashing in on the Games ever since. Hundreds of teams – ranging from Australian BMXers and Uzbek kayakers to Chinese gymnasts and Indian hockey champions – have been training across the channel. A swath of coast from Berck in the Pas-de-Calais to Dunkerque and into Belgium has more than 70 sites attracting athletes to train in British-style weather, but in cheaper, quieter conditions and state-of-the-art arenas, often replicas of the Games sites. In 2005 when Paris was beaten by London, the French capital’s pride was wounded. But one corner of France, with pockets of some of the highest unemployment in the country, saw potential in its proximity to the English coast.