Nigeria’s based Programos Foundation has advocated for smart city innovation for connected communities development across Nigeria and indeed Africa as a way of living and navigating in the Covid-19 pandemic era, which is presently ravaging the world.
The Foundation made the case in its recent COVID-19 intervention programmes, which was organised as one of the meeting points for many innovation producers in the ecosystem battling a pandemic from Nigeria.
“This global pandemic has demonstrated once again how much we need digital innovations that serve society, and make us smarter, better connected, healthier – with solutions that have a positive impact and relevant local content. We all call for change and change does not happen on its own – it is influenced by people who innovate,” said Amos Emmanuel, Chairman of Programos Foundation.
He argued that innovators are occupying leadership positions in every part of the world – Nigeria not an exception. Thus, world innovation cannot be complete without leadership contribution from Africa, and Nigeria in particular.
Hear him: “For a decade of Programos Foundation’s volunteerism, we make bold to say we are blessed with great youth innovation potentials from Africa – from our tech scouting, researching, mentoring, promotion for global showcasing and rating of our homegrown web and mobile apps we have behind us a good pedigree of Nigerian innovators winning at the world stage at many editions. And by this, we have made indelible marks on the world’s innovation map as a black developing nation.
As our future becomes more uncertain just as COVID-19 connected with us, it will require leadership circles especially the Presidency, States and Local Governments to prioritise our UN-based youths innovationbed development programmes for smart city innovation potentials on the various states, as they are our present-day nation builders!
This is why we have developed the www.innovationbed.africa as a 5-pronged multidisciplinary, multistakeholder digital ecosystem to encourage regions across Africa with the opportunity to promote collaboration hubs of local startups riding on an international network of experts in the UN World Summit Awards. The 5 pillars of Innovationbed Africa being:
-1. FillAGap Research
-2. UpSkilling Research
-3. Tech-Scouting & Awards
-4. SDGs-Advisor (UN ICT4SIDS Computer-Aided Strategic Planning for COVID-19 Impacts in Developing Countries)
-5. Grassroots Digital Policy intervention
With your supports from the states, Nigeria’s quality and sustained participation at the global competition will not only be guaranteed, but we also hope to improve Africa’s poor contribution since 2003 on the global diameter of innovation for which Europe alone lead with more than 45%, Asia 14%, Latin America and the Caribbean 12% and the rest of the world sharing less than 30% with the African Continent ‘managing’ about 6% prior to the pandemic.
African leadership thoughts MUST then take a new look at every development agenda to ensure they are in sync with viewing innovation now as a strategic necessity going by the unfolding transformation around the globe and relevance of emerging economic data ontology requiring increased local content valuation and governance.
Our upcoming webinar which will offer a complimentary national platform in the season for numerous innovators to showcase their projects to the experts and innovation savvy audience come 17th September 2020 starting from 11.30 am WAT. Panelists will attempt to Xray the value, power and position of innovators across both the horizontal and vertical fabric of the Nigerian economy.
The virtual Jury and Conference event with a special invite to the National Coordinator, Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NITDA) Dr. Amina Sambo-Magaji, will feature industry stakeholders and Innovationbed Research Council members: Mr. Jide Awe, CEO, JIDAW SYSTEMS LIMITED and Clara Okoro, Founder, MY BEAUTIFUL AFRICA, as well as past global winners and national nominees like Mr. Peter Ihesie, CEO, Complustech Limited (CHUCHPLUS/iPOLICE Mobile) Who won in Open Government/ Citizen Engagement award category and was celebrated in AbuDhabi UAE in 2014, Mr Tom Roberts (UTRUCK.NG) Who won in Smart Settlement and Urbanisation award category and was celebrated in Vienna, Austria in 2018, Mr. Luqman Balogun (CARROT.NG) Who won and was celebrated in Cascais, Portugal in 2019, Dr Uzoegbo Ogechukwu (EYESPHERE360) the WSA Nigeria National Nominee in Health and Lifestyle category 2018, and His Excellency, Hon. Minister for Interior and fmr Executive Governor of the State of Osun, Engr. Rauf Aregbesola (OPON IMO) won and was celebrated in Colombo, Sri Lanka 2013.
The innovating public for the purpose of this National Pre-Selection Conference is seen from 2 sides of a coin: Head are those producers wishing to submit their works for the World Summit Awards competition by using link: https://db.icnm.net/Signup/WSA/2020/Nigeria/
They have the opportunity to become presenters at the conference presenting their projects to the world and virtual Jury panel.
While tail are the aspiring learners comprising of innovation savvy youths in the society who aspire to learn to fix one or more local challenges in their lifetime rather than to continue to wail like many do, and other general viewing participants who are also skilled innovators hoping to encourage those making efforts to also join them to take actions in solving at least one SDG goal – should register using link: https://bit.ly/3gaUENt
Ongoing call for free participation of innovators in WSA-Nigeria 2020 from – homegrown products are submitted here:
https://db.icnm.net/Signup/WSA/2020/Nigeria/
This video carefully teaches how to submit a quality product:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8nNyMDkHbI&feature=youtu.be
Producers must understand the categories of products review:
- Open Government & Citizen Engagement – influencing innovation capacity development in government services, open data, democratic participation process
- E-business and Commerce – (innovative services, security, finance, marketing)
- E-Learning and Education – (knowledge, science, skills)
- Health and Well-being – (medical care, sport, lifestyle)
- Culture and Tourism – (heritage, entertainment, subcultures)
- Inclusion and empowerment – (diversity, gender, justice, human rights)
- Smart settlement and Urbanization – (mobility, productive work, sustainable living)
- Environment and Green Energy – (climate, sustainable resources, agriculture)
Every state government must rise up and develop its local potentials by domesticating UN-based Innovationbed programmes currently being coordinated by designated and trained professionals across the 36 states of the federation and FCT Abuja.
The popular slogan now by innovationbed as the panacea for dreaming to achieve a digital economy without being wasteful is to come to terms with the fact that: INNOVATION or CREATIVITY today is as IMPORTANT as LITERACY!
#Innovationbed is that human-led natural transformation sprouting across the states through state representative champions volunteering to promote UN-based programmes in sets of digitised processes that favour smart-connected communities development.
#DigitalNigeria: Innovationbed collaboration volunteerism network – a catalyst!
Innovationbed ecosystem interacts with universities, government, corporations, startup accelerators, venture capitalists, private investors, foundations, entrepreneurs, mentors, and the media across the globe.