Tech in Africa
EQUALS and INPUT Hungary hosted this year’s edition of the ITU innovation challenge. 2020 marked its second edition where 20 winners were selected. In an excellent display of gender inclusivity in innovation across Africa, 12 of the winners were women while 8 were men.
The International Telecommunication innovation challenge carried on despite the global pandemic. As a result of Covid-19, stress on value chains and most country’s readiness in their preparations for a digital economy. This significantly affects social conditions internationally. The ITU innovation challenge creates disruptions in supply, production, consumption, and disruption of delivery chains.
The winners were picked from 3 main categories: Digital Change-maker challenge, Women in Technology Challenge, and Ecosystems Best Practice Challenge.
The ITU Innovation Challenge comprises 12 people on its jury, made up of 6 ITU experts and 6 external experts, and tasked with combing through numerous submissions from over 26 countries. Find out more about the juries here.
Here are the challenge winners from each cartegory
Digital changemaker
The digital changemaker challenge targets innovators who intend to impact their communities through digitization. Here are the winning innovations according to category.
Agro by Tafadzwa Ronald Chikwereti – Smart solution hub targeting smallholder farmers tackling waste and inefficiencies.
Guiding Sounds by Carlos Eduardo Mosquera Reyes – mobility solution for visually impaired.
Online interactive gallery by Mojca Karin Rehar and supporting emerging artists through interactive online galleries.
RaebConnect-Farmers E-Business Manager by Ikechukwu Umezurumba – Maintain farmer production and financial records allowing farmers to remotely update their farm business records via SMS/USSD.
Teleeza by James Gachara Kiruri – a mobile content aggregation and advertising platform.
VISTA Destination Network Open Platform and Ecosystem by Thomas Müller – public-private partnership platform.
Women in Technology Challenge
Targeting individual tech innovators and startups that create digital products that eventually positively impact women in the tech sector. Winning innovations are:
BullyID Indonesia by Nindya Miesye Agita Pasaribu that raises resilience and decreases the vulnerability of victims affected by cyberbullying.
CYBERDADA TZ created by Calister Apollonary Simba an initiative upskilling girls and women.
Women in Digital (WID) by Achia Khaleda Nila promoting women/girls education through tech adoption.
ICT solution by Rani Mutiarawati – PETANI application that provides farmers with access to technology and information.
SCAN 4 PADS by Nabuyuni Ann Sankan – innovation providing access to low cost menstrual products.
Ecosystem Best Practice Challenge
Publiseer by Dominic Chidiebere Nwaogu – a digital platform targeting underserved and independent African writers
Micro Lab Engineering Club’s “Creative Ecosystem for Talent Development,” by Diana Artiom building an environment for developing talent.
EgyptInnovate Platform by Nahel Muhammad Amirah – Egyptian bilingual online ICT innovation and entrepreneurship.
Health-tech ecosystems by Ivana Kostić – health-tech innovative solution.
Innovation Guide by Galina Dremova connecting startups with corporates.
Regopantes by Wilda Romadona connecting farmers to digital value chains.
Smart City Ambassadors by Laila Abdullah Khasib Al Hadhrami – smart city technology through 4IR.
TAKMIL by Zainab Khan – online learning digital learning solution.
UN Digital Academy by William M Allen providing knowledge and expertise for accelerating digital transformations.
