SDG Innovation challenge 2022 for Africans

You are young, African, and want to work with like-minded people committed to making a difference from the grassroots level up? This ideathon is open to students, professionals, community activists, social entrepreneurs, changemakers, and all other interested folks in Africa: Awaken the SDG innovator in you and sign up today!

The SDG Innovation Challenge, designed as a virtual, pan-African ideation space, is a powerhouse for young people from across the continent to come together and co-develop practical solutions to grassroots challenges while pushing the needle of sustainable development on a global scale. This 2020 innovation challenge invites participants to use their design and complex thinking skills to solve problems in a measurable and qualitative manner. According to the World Bank, the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed nearly 40 million Africans into extreme poverty and harmed the economy and livelihoods in a variety of ways.

The force of innovation drives the engine of sustainable growth, creating initiatives that foster resilience, empower less privileged segments of the population, alleviate environmental stress, and so on! Furthermore, we emphasize collaboration and partnerships as a central axis around which our efforts are oriented, in accordance with SDG 17 (Partnerships for Goal Achievement).

With this context in mind, we present the SDG Innovation Challenge 2022, which expands on previous initiatives to create a larger space for expanded outreach and wider horizons! The SDG Innovation Challenge, with the theme Transformative Solutions against Global Challenges – Accountability in Leveraging Youth Action to Create and Empower, brings together young talent with three primary goals:

• to trigger fresh thinking by connecting innovators from diverse backgrounds and sectors.
• to develop fresh, practical approaches to furthering SDG impact through cross-boundary collaboration.
• to ignite transformative action towards sustainable development and improved livelihoods of communities across Africa.

How to Participate

Before registering, read through these consideration and keep these important points in mind:

• Only groups of 4 to 7 people can register:
  To register, you must bring a group of 4-7 people – you included. What’s more, we encourage interdisciplinary group composition. When people from diverse realities or backgrounds meet and connect around a shared cause, that’s when true innovation happens: bridging realities, intersecting sectors, collaborating across boundaries, and building forward together.
  In short: Diversity is one of the core values of the SDG Innovation Challenge, and we encourage everyone to join our pre-event connector space on Facebook. Whether you’re an individual who’s looking for a group of like-minded people to register, or whether you already have a (small) group in mind but could use some more diversity of thought and talent: The connector space is a great opportunity to meet people who are committed to sustainable development and interested in participating in the event. It’s in your hands to find out more about each other – what motivates you, the skills you bring, the dreams you have, the communities you serve, etc. – and to come together in groups of 4-7 people and register for the SDG Innovation Challenge 2022!

Any idea entering the challenge must be at the most nascent (early) stage:
This is not an accelerator program, but rather an ideation marathon. Do not register it if you already have a fairly refined idea or if you have your mind set on something specific and are not open to re-thinking, bringing different perspectives on board, and possibly changing how the solution idea eventually shapes up. We’re here to spark new ideas, unearth new ones through cross-border collaboration, and come together around solutions. That mindset will have the greatest, most transformative impact, beginning with your participation in the SDG Innovation Challenge.

What We need

The SDG Innovation Challenge is open to participation from young people across Africa.

You want to work across domains and gain insights into the brightest minds tackling sustainable development from the grassroots level up? Here is an opportunity for young, pan-African social innovators and entrepreneurs to change the world, one idea at a time!

• A connection to this year’s challenge theme: Transformative Solutions against Global Challenges – Accountability in Leveraging Youth Action to Create and Empower
• Passion, drive, and commitment to improving livelihoods in your community and beyond
• A genuine interest in sustainable development and desire to contribute to advancing the SDGs in your community and beyond
• The motivation to work in an agile hackathon-like environment, to engage pro-actively, and to ideate extensively throughout the event.
• Desire to connect and collaborate with people from different domains and geographies.
• The ability to work in an interdisciplinary team
• The commitment to take the idea to completion and remain engaged with the cause post the SDG Innovation Challenge

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Application

Registration will end on November 1st 2022

For more details visit the official page for SDG Innovation Challenge

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