Creative solutions to problems shown at new Dubai summit

Dubai: Creative solutions for social and environmental problems were showcased at the first-ever Expo Live Global Innovators Summit on Tuesday in Dubai.

Previous winners of Expo Live’s Innovation Impact Grant Programme (IIGP) discussed their innovations at the event, part of Expo 2020 Dubai’s global social impact programme.

Now in its fourth cycle, IIGP awards successful projects with grants of up to $100,000 (around Dh367,000) each.

The launch of the IIGP’s fourth cycle coincided with the three-day inaugural summit, which ended on Tuesday. The event was attended by ‘Global Innovators’ from nearly 40 countries who received grants and support as part of the initiative’s previous cycles.

It included UAE-based start-up Smart Labour, a mobile app that helps blue-collar workers improve their reading and writing skills, while offering rewards such as vouchers.

Since securing Expo Live’s support, Smart Labour has partnered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation to implement the app across the country and develop it further. The firm has also signed a contract with Dubai Taxi and more than 3,500 drivers have already used the app to take courses.

Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, said: “The true legacy of Expo 2020 Dubai will be measured by the connections it creates, the people it inspires and the future it builds. Expo Live not only symbolises what a World Expo should stand for, it also enables Expo 2020 Dubai to deliver on its promise of social innovation and to inspire future generations to create a positive impact. Through initiatives such as [IIGP], we have an opportunity to empower individuals and communities around the world to solve pressing challenges.”

Yousuf Caires, Vice President – Expo Live, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Expo Live is proud to support passionate visionaries who are having a positive social and environmental impact all over the world. All 70 Global Innovators reaffirm our belief that innovation can come from anywhere, to everyone. We know there are more innovators impacting their communities in all corners of the globe and we encourage them to apply for funding, assistance and exposure as part of the fourth cycle of the Innovation Impact Grant Programme.”

Applications for the fourth cycle of the IIGP close on December 2.

Global Innovators:

Smart Labour (UAE)

The mobile app, which has 40,000 registered users, allows people and organisations to purchase vouchers – such as talk-time for international calls – for blue-collar workers. Labourers take short and simple courses for reading, writing, basic computer literacy, communication skills, etc. Once they complete the course, they can redeem the vouchers to speak with loved ones back home and receive other benefits.

Abu Muadh, founder of Smart Labour, said: “There are more than two million blue-collar workers in the UAE with access to smart phones. However, in most cases these devices are primarily used to keep in touch with family members or for entertainment. Due to a lack of education, many blue-collar workers in the Middle East are unable to express themselves as clearly as they would like to. The Smart Labour learning app can help to improve this situation, benefitting millions of people across our region.”

F123 (Brazil)

F123 is developing a portable and affordable talking computer that provides visually impaired people with a greater degree of independence.

Fernando H F Botelho, founder of F123, who is blind, said: “Our objective is to make F123’s software widely available to people with visual impairments, 90 per cent of whom live in developing countries. The Expo Live grant helped us achieve our goal by speeding up the development process. It enabled us to create the world’s first free Arabic speech synthesiser, which is compatible with low-cost computers.

“Participating in the Global Innovators Summit also has been an incredible opportunity for all of us to benefit from the expertise and assistance of the Expo Live team and Expo 2020’s partners. It is very encouraging to see that we are fully supported and it makes us want to work even harder to make this world a better place.”

Kabadiwalla Connect (India)

A lot of household waste in India and elsewhere is collected by “informal” waste pickers working on the streets and landfills who sell waste to ‘kabadiwallas’ (scrap sellers), who in turn sell them to recyclers. Kabadiwalla Connect (KC), based in the southern Indian city of Chennai, links up this informal sector to the “formal” waste management sector, such as municipalities and recycling companies.

Siddharth Hande, founder and CEO of KC, said there is a waste management crisis in cities in the developing world. In India, KC’s goal is to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill by 70 per cent, which is around 50 million tonnes of waste a year. “In the developing world, our larger mission is to help bring 15 million people who currently survive on salvaging recyclables, out of the fold,” Hande said.

WAVE Academy (Nigeria)

Around half of youth in Nigeria are unemployed in the formal sector. WAVE (West Africa Vocational Education) aims to “upskill” youth in Nigeria and West Africa so they can have stable jobs and steady incomes. Its academies provide vocational training, soft skills and qualifications in less than a month so they can join the workforce as soon as possible. It only charges graduates once they are hired. They pay a month’s salary in easy instalments.

Misan Rewane, CEO, WAVE Academy, said: “Most of the young people are living on less than $2 a day, haven’t gone to university, don’t have access to university and are blocked out of the formal economy because they don’t have a degree, or work experience, or skills, or a personal network to get their foot in the door. We provide all that to them.”

In the last five years, over 2,500 youth have passed through WAVE for jobs at over 300 employers.