Dipo Olowookere
Organisers of the World Summit Awards (WSA) have unveiled winners of the 2018 programme selected by international experts’ jury in Ghana in November 2018.
This year’s winners in the Health category of WSA, an award focusing on digital innovation with societal impact, show a clear trend in using digital innovation for medical and healthcare education, empowering patients and med care professionals alike.
The Lebanese solution Proximie is a perfect example for how digital technology can make a positive impact, with the right content.
“One of the 21st century tools that actually saves lives. What I found really impressive is that it was developed by a Lebanese woman, who saw the need as a medical student, and teamed up with IT people.” Dorothy Gordon, one of the WSA Grand Jury members, states.
In line with Proximie, CompleteAnatomy 2019 from Ireland, BodyInteract from Portugal, MedHealth TV from India, and Clickmedix from the US, prove that creative thinking and smart content are more important than financial profit and fast growth.
“Today we are living in a completely different environment – through the mobile revolution, through the emergence of the algorithmic age – data has become a capital as much as labour, land money and machinery. Hunting for the next unicorn and better, faster, bigger technology foster the digital divide, instead of mending it. Hence, it is more important than ever to evaluate what is excellent content that really offers solutions and impact. Qualitative, local content has become the key and permanent issue. WSA presents innovation that uses ICT for social connectivity. To connect for impact,” WSA Chairman Peter A. Bruck states.
Ranging from Girlythings, a Pakistani Woman’s Empowerment App to Grasshoppers, a Sri Lankan e-commerce fulfillment service; from the Slovenian Feelif, using IoT to support the blind, to M-Shule a Kenyian AI based mobile learning platform to connect primary school students, the 40 winners from 26 countries, selected from 430 nominations from 182 participating countries, offer a perfect diameter of how of digital innovation solves challenges in the 21st century.
Focussing foremost on the content and the impact in their local communities, not only the technical finesse and design, WSA assembled international experts from all regions and fields to select the 40 winners. The final jury phase concluded in an on-site three days meeting in Accra, Ghana of 16 international high level experts, deciding in a democratic and transparent process on the most powerful and content rich solutions 2018.
The WSA winners of 2018 will present their innovations and receive their awards at the WSA Global Congress in Cascais, Portugal (March 11-13, 2019). The agenda of the WSA Congress will be a compilation of interaction and inspiration, combining workshops, business blind-dates and inspiring keynotes & bringing together the global and multi-stakeholder network of WSA.
