General
Tackling Child Mortality, Global Environment Issues, Disability
More than 400 delegates from 120 countries met at Nova SBE Campus, Cascais, turning Portugal into a global hub for start-ups and digital innovators on the subject of “Purpose driven digital Innovation.” About 82 international jury members have selected 9 Global Champions 2019 from the 45 WSA winners 2018, awarded by the City of Cascais, the Republic of Austria and UN-representatives at the festive Gala on March 13 at the WSA Global Congress in Cascais.
Many people are suffering because they don’t have a chance to health treatment or have access to information, while the industrialised society lacks the integrity to include and empower. Impact is vital in the sense of the word. Digital Content is bringing knowledge to places where it has not been yet, it integrates and enables.
Social benefit, sustainable impact, global diversity and digital innovation were the core themes of the WSA Global Congress 2019 – and the Global Champions. The 3 day congress showed how concern and distress give rise to innovative solutions, and how need can foster invention and sustainable design. The Nova SBE campus became a hub for unique knowledge exchange with 400 participants and outstanding international best practices of digital innovation with impact on society and mentors for 3 days.
Based on the UN goals for a true information society (UN WSIS) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), 82 international jurors selected the 9 WSA Global Champions from Kenya to Pakistan, based on their presentation at the Congress and their social and local impact from the 45 WSA winner projects – with Africa making a strong showcase of innovation.
Prof. Peter A. Bruck, Chairman of the World Summit Award Board of Directors: “The 9 Global Champions show just a small portion of what social innovation can do around the world with digital, content-based solutions. Thanks to the City of Cascais, we have brought this Austrian initiative to Portugal for the first time and opened a showcase for products from all member states of the United Nations that make a difference. WSA and the Global Champions selected here in Cascais show that innovation comes primarily not from the pursuit of profit and quick money, but from commitment to avoid suffering and alleviate need. This results in sustainable positive transformations of our society. “
The outstanding digital innovations were honoured at the festive Gala ceremony on March 13th.
Guest of honour H.E. Manuel Heitor, Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal states: “WSA presents a display of impressive digital projects from around the world embraced by entrepreneurs and aiming at improving the quality of our society while solving real life problems. More than 400 participants from 120 countries met in Portugal at this 2019 World Summit, turning Cascais into a global hub for start-ups.”
WSA GLOBAL CHAMPIONS 2019
The winner in the Government & Citizen Engagement category was Chaos AI from Finland, an innovative team providing a multi-stakeholder decision tool for estate planning based on AI – making estates focused on the inhabitants and environmental protection.
Irelands Complete Anatomy was selected Global Champion in the category Health & Well-Being. The international jury states: “Most innovative. Using VR to enable medical students to learn the human body structures saves time and valuable resources.”
“Pakistani girls have few alternatives in getting this information. Getting female health information from a trusted source is crucial all over the world to reduce female and child mortality and empower women.” a Jury member pointed out, as to why Global Learning & Education champion AI chatbot Raaji from Pakistan was awarded.
Multi-facet digital platform Kuza One from Kenya educates small-holder farmers in Africa concerning environmental Agriculture and Entrepreneurship and was selected by the Jury for Environment & Green Energy: “It could be a winner in education. Could be a winner in many categories. It is a real winner.”
AFROCOMIX from Ghana won the Championship for Culture & Tourism, benefitting the lives of multiple creators of African Culture with a monetization platform, “… telling African Stories – and these stories need to be told to present African heroes”, the Jury states.
Business & Commerce solution Sokowatch from Kenya was a favourite among the winners because it works on so many levels for “…providing small retailers with services and an affordable credit line, closing the gap of last mile delivery and supporting small entities.”
From Japan, Wheelog convinced with empowering wheelchair users in the Smart settlements & Urbanization category. The Jury concludes: “Creative, innovative and addressing a pressing problem. Creates sense of inclusiveness. Can scale globally.”
Enablement through digital solutions also made the Championship in the Inclusion & Empowerment category: “Feelif from Slovenia is a tablet for blind people. It is much more affordable than any given alternative hardware, providing access to internet for blind people.”
The highly competent WSA Young Innovators Global Champions LEAF from the USA proved that fintech can serve the most vulnerable of all, refugees and the stateless, who are provided with a block chain technology to preserve and transfer their money through digital currency – across borders.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, has urged investors to partner with the federal government to convert abandoned mining pits into profitable ventures, as part of efforts to curb illegal mining and prevent avoidable deaths at unlicensed sites.
Mr Alake made the call following the collapse of an abandoned tin mine pit in Kassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, which claimed seven lives, saying such sites could be safely repurposed for productive investments rather than left vulnerable to illegal miners.
The minister said the permit would have qualified them to benefit from the ministry’s artisanal mining department’s field training and ensured a steady stream of income.
Calling on artisanal miners nationwide to learn a grave lesson from the collective grief that the sad incident has inflicted on the nation, the minister commiserated with the government and people of Plateau State on the sad incident and prayed for the repose of the dead.
“The challenge before the state and the Federal Government is how to turn these potential pits of death into centres of joyful prosperity”, Mr Alake said, noting that there are over 4,000 mine pits dug by the mining conglomerate Amalgamated Tin Mines Limited and its successor companies – Consolidated Tin Mines Limited and Nigerian Tin and Allied Products Limited.
He said the government welcomes investors interested in repurposing these pits for energy, tourism and fishery projects.
Mr Alake said collaborating with the private sector is the most proactive and fastest approach to turning dead assets into productive use, noting that the Ministry has rehabilitated 59 abandoned pits so far.
In a bid to de-risk investment, he said the ministry has embarked on a strategic initiative to deploy advanced GIS satellite mapping and Artificial Intelligence through a public-private partnership with ImPPPact Nigeria Alliance, alongside geomatics specialist Intomatics, using Plateau State as the pilot beneficiary to locate, characterise accurately, and design workflows to reclaim the thousands of legacy tin pits.
He advised investors to direct enquiries to the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office and the Ministry’s Mines and Environmental Compliance Department, and to apply to the Solid Minerals Development Fund’s funding programme.
To ensure that abandoned pits do not occur again, Alake said he has pioneered the establishment of the Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation Fund by activating what had been a mere constitutional provision.
“Very soon, we shall conclude discussions with the fund managers. Thenceforth, mining companies must pay to the Fund so that it can rehabilitate mine pits if the companies don’t do so during closure,” he said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government will next Tuesday unveil a $1 billion social protection programme targeting 7.2 million of the country’s most vulnerable households through emergency cash transfers and other interventions aimed at helping them withstand economic shocks and transition towards self-reliance.
The programme will be unveiled by the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. It is part of the efforts of the administration of President Bola Tinubu to strengthen social protection and ensure that vulnerable Nigerians are protected while being supported towards resilience and economic self-reliance.
Mr Abimbola Fasanu, the Senior Technical Adviser on Information Systems and Data Analysis to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Mr Bernard Doro, said in a statement that the unveiling goes beyond the launch of a single programme, as it introduces a more coordinated approach to humanitarian response, social protection and poverty reduction, with the household placed at the centre of intervention and measurement.
A major component of the event will be the launch of the Federal Government Emergency Shock-Responsive Cash Transfer Programme, targeting 7.2 million of the most vulnerable households nationwide.
The event will also feature the launch of the One Humanitarian One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS), Nigeria’s integrated framework for humanitarian response, social protection, poverty reduction and economic inclusion; the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Ministerial Blueprint; and Humanity First Magazine.
Mr Doro said OHOPRS addresses a longstanding challenge in which different government institutions, development partners and other organisations may intervene without sufficient visibility of who has already received support, what assistance was provided and whether the intervention improved the household’s condition.
“Nigeria cannot continue with a system where one vulnerable household receives interventions from several institutions while another equally vulnerable household remains unseen. We must know who has been reached, what support they received, whether it worked and what they need next,” the Minister said.
Under the new approach, a household receiving emergency assistance following a flood, conflict, economic shock or other crisis should not simply disappear from Government’s radar once the immediate emergency has passed. Where necessary, that household can be connected to appropriate social protection, livelihood support, skills development and economic opportunities, with progress towards resilience and self-reliance tracked over time.
“Our objective is not to keep Nigerians permanently dependent on assistance. We are moving from palliatives to pathways, from fragmentation to coordination, and from vulnerability to prosperity,” he stated.
He said the reform reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring that economic reforms ultimately translate into improved welfare and greater opportunities for Nigerian households.
The Minister added that the First Lady’s role in unveiling the programme provides an important connection with her commitment to improving the welfare and economic opportunities of women, young people, families and vulnerable Nigerians through the Renewed Hope Initiative.
“The true measure of success is not simply how many Nigerians receive assistance, but how many become stronger, more resilient and ultimately able to sustain themselves and their families,” the spokesperson said.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Tuesday, August 25, 2026, has been declared a public holiday by the federal government to celebrate this year’s Eid ul Mawlid.
A statement on Friday by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Ms Magdalene Ajani, said the holiday is in commemoration of the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
Announcing the holiday on behalf of the federal government, the Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, extended warm felicitations to Muslims in Nigeria and across the diaspora.
“Every Eid ul Mawlid gives us reason to pause and draw lessons from a life defined by compassion, humility and service to others.
“These are qualities our nation needs now more than ever, and I encourage every Nigerian, not just our Muslim brothers and sisters, to reflect on them,” he was quoted as saying in the statement, adding that the period should also serve as a time for collective prayer for the peace and cohesion of the country, noting that national unity remains a shared responsibility.
Mr Tunji-Ojo further charged citizens to observe the celebration with restraint and mutual respect, wishing the Muslim community a joyous and peaceful Eid, restating the resolve of the present administration to safeguard lives and property across the country and to ensure that peace is maintained at all times.
