Europe's answer to technology accelerator programs like Y Combinator and TechStars is Seedcamp, and for the first time, they're formally extending their reach to Africa. This is one more indication of why the growing technology scene on the continent is worth watching.

Seedcamp shares a lot of things in common with its American accelerator cousins. The programs tend to exchange a small piece of equity (in the 5%-10% range) for a few months worth of operating cash and, more  importantly, access to mentors and downstream funders.

Seedcamp, however, has the goal not only of accelerating the progress of great companies but of growing the startup scene in Europe as a whole. They use an interesting model of "Mini-Seedcamps" around Europe (and even, this year, in Tel Aviv) where local companies pitch for a chance to attend Seedcamp Week in London.

At Seedcamp Week, companies are treated to nonstop peer and expert mentorship, pitching, network building and more. At the end of it, a handful of companies are selected to be funded by through the €2 million Seedcamp fund, and subsequently spend three months in London learning, building, and eventually launching.

This year, Seedcamp will host its first Mini-Seedcamp in Africa as part of the Tech4Africa summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in August. According to this piece in a South African news magazine, Seedcamp is particularly interested in Africa's contribution to the mobile space. They cited young organizations like Ushahidi and m-Pesa as examples of African innovation.

It seems like a good fit to me, considering Seedcamp's experience growing startup scenes as well as simply funding. I hope it goes well, because I'd love to see a lot more programs like it. It seems to me that between growing support structures (like the totally awesome iHub) on the continent and a global conversation between this sort of incubator program (for example, the TechStars Global Affilaites program), a lot of exciting things could be happening in the next year or two.

The African tech startup scene is one of the best exemplars of the disruptive effects of the lower cost of computing and web access. Stay tuned here for more information about the companies selected for the Mini-Seedcamp at Tech4Africa, and about technology startups on the continent in general.

Photo credit: At the iHub in Kenya, via whiteafrican