Supporting the People Behind Mozambique’s Next Solutions
August 2026 | Mozambique
In August 2026, Khiusha Uaila, Co-Founder & CEO of Xi Bassile, took part in a series of TECA-MAR activities focused on entrepreneurship, blue-economy innovation, climate resilience and early-stage finance in Mozambique.
The experience marked a meaningful full-circle moment in her professional journey.
In 2024, Khiusha participated in a BFA Global entrepreneurship programme as a cohort member. Two years later, she returned to the ecosystem in a different role, contributing to the preparation and coordination of the TECAthon Mozambique and facilitating the Blue Innovation Ecosystem Forum.
The TECAthon brought together Mozambican participants who formed multidisciplinary teams and worked together to develop business concepts responding to opportunities and challenges within the country's blue economy. The ideas developed included solutions related to sustainable tourism, recycling and macroalgae production, with three teams receiving awards after presenting their concepts to a panel of judges and investors.
The following day, the Blue Innovation Ecosystem Forum brought together entrepreneurs, investors, financial institutions, researchers, government representatives, development partners and other actors from Mozambique's innovation ecosystem.
The discussions moved beyond individual ideas to explore what entrepreneurs need to transform promising solutions into sustainable and scalable ventures, including access to knowledge, technical support, markets, partnerships, research, appropriate financing and enabling policies.
Khiusha also participated in discussions around early-stage venture financing, including the launch of RAIZ Mozambique - Resilience, Adaptation and Innovation in Mozambique, an initiative focused on strengthening access to finance for enterprises contributing to resilience, adaptation and innovation.
Across these engagements, one message stood out:
Great ideas need more than innovation to grow. They need the right ecosystem.
For Xi Bassile, this is particularly relevant. Developing nature-based solutions for more resilient urban environments requires not only technical innovation, but also strong partnerships, institutional support, market opportunities, investment and meaningful engagement with communities.
The experience also highlighted the importance of creating pathways for people to learn, grow and eventually contribute to the ecosystems that support them.
Khiusha's journey from programme participant in 2024 to facilitator and programme contributor in 2026, is one example of how these pathways can create a lasting ripple effect.
Mozambique has the talent and creativity to develop solutions to its environmental and economic challenges. The next step is building the ecosystems that allow those solutions to grow, reach more people and create lasting impact.
At Xi Bassile, we believe that supporting the people behind those solutions is part of building a more resilient future.
