A Nigerian, Ikechukwu Umezurumba was among 20 winners of the 2020 ITU Innovation Challenges and a virtual pitch session of seven winning projects to a global audience of experts.
The event collocated alongside the 2020 edition of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Global Innovation Forum, held from 26 to 30 October, and highlighted the critical role of entrepreneurship-driven innovation in the context of a global pandemic.
Twelve women and eight men received awards across three challenge categories: The digital change-maker, ecosystem best practice, and women in tech.
Tafadzwa Ronald Chikwereti (Zimbabwe), Carlos Eduardo Mosquera Reyes (United States), Mojca Karin Rehar (France), Ikechukwu Umezurumba (Nigeria), James Gachara Kiruri (Kenya), and Thomas Müller (South Africa) won the digital change-maker challenge category.
In the category of the ecosystem best practice challenge, the following contenders won: Dominic Chidiebere Nwaogu (Nigeria), Diana Artiom (Moldova), Nahel Muhammad Amirah (Egypt), Ivana Kostic (Serbia), Galina Dremova (Russia), Wilda Romadona (Indonesia), Laila Abdullah Khasib Al Hadhrami (Oman), Zainab Khan (Pakistan), and Franca Vinci (Italy).
Finally, the winners of the women in tech challenge category were: Nindya Miesye Agita Pasaribu (Indonesia), Calister Apollonary Simba (Tanzania), Achia Khaleda Nila (Bangladesh), Rani Mutiarawati (Indonesia), and Nabuyuni Ann Sankan (Kenya).
ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao noted that, “Supporting entrepreneurship-driven innovation has never been more important. Simply put, innovation pushes the boundaries of what is possible.
“It creates jobs, economic growth, and new ways to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. ICT innovators need access to the resources to take their ideas to market and access to a well-developed broadband infrastructure.”
While digital technologies have the potential to change lives and significantly accelerate sustainable development, many communities lack access to an enabling environment as key stakeholders often fail to understand, develop and renew the competitive practices that fuel digital transformation.
Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has created additional challenges for countries’ transition to a digital economy by negatively affecting socio-economic conditions worldwide.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau said, “Entrepreneurship-driven innovation has been a rising priority for ITU stakeholders since the 2014 World Telecommunication Development Conference in Dubai.
“This forum enabled participants to share insights and discover new practices. By bringing diverse stakeholders to connect with change-makers for more action-oriented outcomes, we hope that symbiotic relationships will develop to ensure sustainable and competitive digital ecosystems that unlock communities’ potential.”
During the five-day event, 175 experts in innovation, entrepreneurship and technology discussed how to accelerate digital transformation in their communities, mainstream entrepreneurship and find resources required for digital innovation, and bring resource, problem and solution owners together to achieve digital inclusion.
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