Digital technologies can help to counter challenges with innovative solutions; Photo credit: re:publica/Gregor Fischer (CC BY 2.0)
Tech for Good
We live in a connected world in which digital technologies accelerate our communication, make information more accessible and production processes more transparent. At least this is what we hope for. However, only half of the world's population has access to the internet and humanity is still facing major challenges at the beginning of the 21st century: Poverty, hunger, inadequate access to education or health, conflicts and corruption are still a daily occurrence for many people.
Digital technologies can contribute innovative solutions to master such global challenges. To achieve this, shaping the digital future together with partners from Africa, Asia and Latin America is key.
With a growing young population, Africa is a continent of opportunity - young inventors and entrepreneurs are developing innovative digital applications – ranging from mobile payment systems such as M-Pesa to 3D printers made of electronic waste.
The Topic "Tech for Good" looks for inspiring contributions and asks: Does digitization provide access to education for all? Are start-ups able to save the world? Will smart sensors and apps increase the efficiency in agriculture? How can for example big data, blockchain or open source software solutions contribute to greater efficiency, transparency and equality worldwide?
The sessions can provide examples of solutions and success stories, but also discuss the challenges and risks associated with digital change. We would like to provide a stage amongst others to visionaries, techies, makers, developers, experts, innovators and creative minds from the African continent for an open dialog on the digital transformation at the re:publica Accra and include insights from across the globe. Be part and shape the global digital future!
As the main partner German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) supports re:publica Accra and the Topic ‘Tech for Good’. BMZ also supports sessions in the Topics “Female” and “Data”: HerStory - Insights from Female Leaders and Tackling Financial Crime: Open and Big Data for Investigative Journalism.
- Politics & SocietyTech for Good-Technologies are evolving at a fast pace, often faster than law makers and governing bodies can keep up with. How do we ensure innovation is fostered and public interests protected at the same time?
- Science & EducationTech for Good-Planning for 2nd summit in Tanzania
We will plan and discuss details and logistics for the second Africa Open Science and Hardware Summit to be held on April 10-13, 2019 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Another topic will be to define how the AfricaOSH community can scale collaboration across the continent. - Politics & SocietyTech for Good-Calling all makers, care recipients, and healthcare professionals!
What are your ideas for connecting the urge for patients and care professionals to design more customized and tailor-made solutions with the maker movement? Makers are designing open hardware as product design is being democratized, opened up and becoming accessible for a growing community. How can patients and care professionals benefit from these developments? Join us for a brainstorming session at rp:Accra! - Science & EducationTech for Good-This session will discuss the opportunities of biotech and machine learning applied to pathology, and how digital innovation is enabling progress in handling public health challenges.
- Business & InnovationTech for Good-Port of Tema, fresh breeze coming in from the sea. The sparkles of light flooding in just before dawn. The waves crashing melodically against the harbour wall. And one hopeful businessperson waiting longingly for movement on the horizon. We all know the feeling of expecting a delivery whether in form of a small parcel or a shipment of containers. Wondering whether it has become stuck and whom to blame in case it went missing. Can Blockchain-technology revolutionize the way global trade operates?
- Science & EducationTech for Good-The Science Set makes it possible for the student to learn by doing. The hands-on approach to science helps the student to easily appreciate what they see in the textbook.
- Business & InnovationTech for Good-By 2035, Africa is poised to have the largest and youngest workforce in the world. African countries are still facing huge challenges in terms of creating opportunities for the ever growing young population. Skills mismatch between what is taught in schools and what the industry requires, inadequate access to labour market information, networks, limited opportunities to acquire work experience or vocational training are some factors that contribute to high unemployment rates.
- Business & InnovationTech for Good-There are currently seven billion people inhabiting this world. By 2050, the global population will reach 9 billion. The challenge: How can we all be fed?
As of late, a groundswell of start-ups and technologies in sub-Saharan Africa have emerged to help smallholder farmers increase efficiency and thus productivity. Most of them using cutting-edge technologies. Are digital technologies the key to success or should we seek elsewhere to solve our challenge? - Politics & SocietyTech for Good-How transparent is the use of public funds? Governments are expected to deliver services of good quality. But how to ensure that tax payers money or donor funds are really used in the expected way? TruBudget is a blockchain-based software which can serve as a platform to track and coordinate the implementation of public investments. By promoting trust, TruBudget could make public budgets transparent and efficient. TruBudget is open source and may be used for various business cases.
- Business & InnovationTech for Good-Startups are paving our way to the future and today, every young person’s dream is not to become a doctor or a lawyer but a startup founder and an entrepreneur. Are we selling the next generation the right dream? Will the startup economy continue to bloom? Will startups and entrepreneurs help African countries break free from aid dependency?
- Science & EducationTech for Good-Air pollution is a growing health issue implicated in 7 million global deaths and health conditions. In Ghana 17000 annual deaths have been reported. Air quality monitoring in Ghana covers limited geographical and temporal ranges, meaning human lives may be at risk.
The goal of this workshop is to demonstrate using low cost monitors to measure key pollutants over LoRaWAN to The Things Network, making data available to the public. - Politics & SocietyTech for Good-Female and minority representation is central to every democracy. However, we have a long way to go: in Ghana, less than 11% of MPs are women (30 out of 275).
Together we explore the diversity in the room, the equality challenges we face as a society, and explore how Tech for Good can create change that makes the world a better place. Are you in?