Paper presented at the New Librarianship Symposia (Symposium 2: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion). The paper describes the EIFL Initiative for Young African Library Innovators  (IYALI), which aims to accelerate the introduction of innovative  technology-based services in public libraries. IYALI inspires and builds the capacity of young African public librarians to innovate by providing an international learning, knowledge-sharing and networking experience. The paper describes the IYALI learning programme and processes, and the impact of IYALI in libraries.