Microsoft. through its 4Afrika initiative, has confirmed that it will provide financial, technical, and mentorship support for the 2015 AMPION Venture Bus, fellowship and accelerator programs.

Addressing journalists on the venture bus in Lagos at the final stage of the initiative's West Africa tour, representatives of Microsoft Nigeria, 4Afrika and AMPION rolled out details of the partnership that is expected to benefit African tech entrepreneurs.

The Venture Bus had just completed the West Africa tour which started in Cote d'Ivoire, passing through Togo, Ghana and Benin.

Microsoft and AMPION used its final stop at the annual DEMO Africa startup event in Nigeria, to announce the partnership aimed at empowering African startups.

Forty selected entrepreneurs will be on each of the five venture buses that will be travelling across 16 countries in Africa, receiving on-board mentorship and visiting local tech hubs over seven days, with the aim of helping them develop solutions and business ideas.

After the venture bus, they will then be part of a 6 to 9-month long fellowship, followed by an extensive incubation program.

"Microsoft is keen on supporting an innovation ecosystem in Africa," says Amrote Abdella, Director of Startup Engagement and Partnerships at Microsoft 4Afrika. "Entrepreneurs who tackle issues create the path for innovative solutions while building sustainable businesses on the continent. Through our collaboration with AMPION, we look forward to giving young talent the tools and resources needed to succeed – laying the foundation for the creation of globally competitive businesses."

Microsoft said it will be supporting the initiative with in-country and virtual mentorships through the MySkills4Afrika volunteer program (using Microsoft Cloud services, Skype for Business and Yammer to stay connected); entrepreneurs will also have access to technical & business support and skills training, through BizSpark and the Microsoft Virtual Academy programs, to help them refine and take their business solutions to market.

AMPION reps said the Venture Bus Africa's 5 tours will take specific focus tracks these are East Africa (e-health), West Africa (fin-tech), Southern Africa (hardware & agriculture) and Tunisia (female empowerment).

"The seven-day Venture Bus program is designed to be intense, competitive and challenging – an ideal environment for innovation to thrive," says Fabian-Carlos Guhl, founder and managing director of AMPION Africa. "The Fellowship Program is then designed to sharpen the entrepreneurs and business ideas with the highest potential."

Guhl added that Microsoft's 4Afrika Initiative shares AMPION's vision of inspiring entrepreneurs and cultivating innovation across the continent.

"We are excited to have them on board, as they understand the power of technology in empowering entrepreneurs to become pan-Africa change agents," he said.