Tuesday
June 30
2020

How Socially-Led Innovation Can Bring Positive Change in Unchartered Times

By Muhammad Nabil

There’s an old and somewhat overused saying attributed to Winston Churchill that is nevertheless appropriate in these uncertain times: never let a good crisis go to waste. A global pandemic certainly qualifies as a crisis, but what good can we generate from this exceptional challenge?

In my work with Microsoft 4Afrika I have had a front row seat to the innovation and creativity many African startups have employed to address pressing economic and social gaps and needs. Whether it’s using agri-tech to improve farmer crop yields, using technology to deliver finance solutions to the previously unbanked or pairing solar power and IoT to solve power reliability issues, African innovation is alive and thriving, and the Covid-19 pandemic has only fanned these flames of ingenuity.

Photo courtesy of NESA by Makers.

Source: Microsoft (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Coronavirus, Investing
Tags
NGOs, social enterprise