By Gabriel Olawale
The Chief Executive Officer of Wits Tshimologong Digital Innovation, Johannesburg, Lesley Williams, has charged Africans to consider the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to identify and showcase indigeneous solutions to the multifaceted challenges confronting the continent.
Speaking at the 2-day maiden virtual Annual Breakfast Dialogue of fourth edition of the Aspire Coronation Trust (ACT) with the theme: “Tech for Good: Fostering Social Innovation and Digital Investments for Transformative Change”, Williams challenged policymakers and innovators to consider the pandemic as an avenue to explore African solutions to the problems.
According to her,the problems arising from the COVID-19 outbreak across the continent in the wake of global economic decline has resulted in developing nations putting their national interests first, adding that Africa, like the rest of the world, is caught up in the same COVID-19 problem and its attendants challenges.
Williams, who is a recipient of the 2018 Inspiring Fifty award by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and over 20 years of experience working in innovation and impact globally, urged Africans to summon the encourage by having confidence in their innovative solutions to the challenges confronting the continent.
She said:” Africa, like the rest of the world, is caught up in the same COVID-19 problem, and everyone is focusing on their respective country. We need to trust ourselves, we need to trust our solutions and bring them to the fore.”
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At the first ever virtual edition of the dialogue which featured conversations on the role of technology in fostering social innovation and digital transformation, experts harped on the need for upskilling management executives across diverse establishments to facilitate digital transformation, develop technological solutions to challenges, and an inclusive technology device for disabled people as well as rethinking the operational designs of technovations for rural communities
The panelists were drawn from technology-driven organizations in the Nigerian economy while discussants included; Professor Olayinka David-West, Academic Director, Lagos Business School; Nkemdilim Begho, Managing Director of Future Software Resources Nigeria Ltd; and Bosun Tijani, CEO, Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB).
The two-day event also featured a breakout Masterclass anchored simultaneously by the trio of Ololade Otayemi, Chief of Staff, Ventures Platform Hub; Emilia Asim, Founder/Practice Director, AML; and Chidi Koldsweat, Founder, Donors for Africa; who took sessions designed to educate participants on the effective use of technology to optimize social impact, storytelling and writing bankable proposals to secure grants for social impact projects, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Vinsighte (Nigeria), a health technology company has emerged winner of a $14,000 prize for The Changemakers Innovation Challenge (CIC) 2020 edition while the Sunlight Nigeria also awarded One Million Naira each to two female applicants of the Changemakers Innovation Challenge as part of plans to empower female entrepreneurs amidst the pandemic.
The fireside chat also featured an audacious innovator, Temie-Giwa Tunbosun, Founder and CEO, Life Bank Nigeria, who discussed “Disrupting Traditional Approaches to Social Issues”. This will be followed by the announcement of the three winners of the Changemakers Innovation Challenge who will be awarded a total of $34,000 towards scaling their innovative solutions across different communities.
The Save our Needy Organization by Marvella Odili is a non-profit targeted at empowering marginalized women and youths with requisite skills to earn sustainable income or gain employment using technology, while Nnenba Mosugu’s Growth with Data Youth Foundation aims to expose women in Adamawa State, Northeast Nigeria, to technological skills and the ease of doing business online.
