Big Ideas Platform 2024: Recap of the Bold Ideas for Africa's Renaissance
[Abuja – May 25, 2024] – The School of Politics, Policy, and Governance (SPPG), in partnership with the Yar’Adua Foundation and MacArthur Foundation, hosted the Big Ideas Platform 2024 on Saturday, May 25, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. The event, themed ‘Information Technology and Behavior Change’ centred on leveraging technology and socio-behavioural programming as ‘game changers’ for Africa's transformation.
The event kicked off with an opening remark by the CEO of SPPG, Alero Ayida-Otobo “Technology is truly a game changer, playing a pivotal role in addressing significant developmental challenges across sectors in Africa: Communication, Commerce, Medicine, Education, Security, Food Production, and so much more." The platform spotlighted four subthemes - blockchain technology, environmental awareness, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence (AI) - and had four of Africa’s bright minds share their big ideas.
Four Big Ideas Curators
Oluseun Badejo, project implementation specialist and team lead of the SPPG Blockchain Project shared his big idea on deploying blockchain technology deployment in the educational sector to address critical issues like certificate forgery, data alteration, and ensure that academic records are secure, accessible, authentic, and verifiable by employers and academic institutions without the hassle of running back to your alma mater each time your academic records are requested, scratch the traditional filing of academic records which takes time to find and has resulted to people losing academic and professional opportunities. This technology could be revolutionary in addressing the rampant issue of fake transcripts in Nigeria and across Africa. This will offer a secure and cost-effective solution for verifying academic credentials.
Speaking in a session on waste management tools, Sian Cuffy Young, an award-winning waste management consultant, educator and social entrepreneur, and founder of Siel (Sigh-el) Environmental, a highly successful social enterprise that revolutionises waste perception and practices for individuals and businesses, shared her big idea on how to create environmental awareness in children, educate them so they can make informed environmental choices. She emphasised that effective environmental change begins with an individual commitment to sanitise our environment as a personal responsibility. Her big idea cites the ‘innovative use of educational books and animations targeted at younger generations to underscore the need for teaching practical waste management skills early’. This focus on proactive methods over interventionist awareness campaigns will drive lasting environmental change.
Sabiqah Bello, representing Ahmad Salkida, the CEO of HumanAngle, a niche media platform using virtual reality to humanise Africa’s conflict, humanitarian, and development issues to evoke empathy, talked about their groundbreaking exploration of virtual reality (VR) in journalism. Offering a glimpse into the future of digital storytelling, the session illustrated VR's ability to immerse viewers in the lived experiences of others, enhancing empathy and understanding. For journalists, VR technology represents a powerful tool for conveying emotional and impactful narratives, potentially transforming the framing and dissemination of news stories.
Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, Technology Education Professional, and Founder of Rise Networks and Passnonwnow, shared her big idea highlighting the critical role of artificial intelligence (AI) for information verification in today’s data-heavy world. Akerele emphasised AI's capacity to identify false reports, a key factor in combating misinformation. She also stressed the importance of integrating AI courses into educational curricula to prepare Africa’s growing population of AI users. By investing in AI, Africa can enhance its global competitiveness, ensuring that students and professionals are equipped with the necessary skills to utilise AI effectively.
Here's a critical commentary by Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji on AI
The VillageSquare Conversation
But beyond these big ideas, there was a question of how to scale them to transform Africa and build a better future. Dr Amina Salihu, the Deputy Director Africa Office of the MacArthur Foundation, pioneer Dean of SPPG and the lead of SPPG’s thought-leadership, led this conversation during The VillageSquare Conversation. Ajibola Amzat, a Nigerian investigative journalist, pointed out that technology can be useful but can be used as a weapon the other way round. Prof Remi Sonaiya, Nigerian politician and educationalist, and one-time presidential candidate, cited that the real challenges we face involve the ethical use of technology. She warned that technology, like a knife, can be a tool for good or harm and that the focus should be on the ethical dimension, character, competence, and capacity. However, Frank Nweke Jnr, a Nigerian Politician, Entrepreneur, Teacher and Social Innovator, and two-time Federal Minister cautioned that Africa is not represented in discussions on the global agenda regarding artificial intelligence. He added that the world will continue to have needs, and those with artificial intelligence expertise will be crucial in meeting them. On the other hand, Dr Obiageli ‘Oby’ Ezekwesili, Founder and Chair of the #FixPolitics, shared her concerns that it is the rate of the dearth of ideas that distinguishes one country from the other, one continent from the other, and reaffirmed SPPG’s determination to ensure that these big ideas will give resultant transformation in our continent.
The 2024 Big Ideas Platform proved to be an enlightening experience that offered attendees and uptakers a wealth of knowledge on the transformative potential of technology in addressing some of the continent's most pressing issues.
As the event concluded, it was clear that the big ideas, insights, and innovations presented hold significant promise for driving positive change in Africa. The 2024 Big Ideas Platform successfully highlighted the critical intersection of technology and development, leaving attendees eager to take action for social impact across Nigeria and the broader African continent.
Join us, let's co-create the Africa we need.
About the Big Ideas Platform: The Big Ideas Platform is a thought leadership initiative developed by the School of Politics, Policy, and Governance. With a focus on empowering African innovators and amplifying their voices, this platform aims to promote dialogue, collaboration, and action to address the pressing challenges faced by African communities. By highlighting transformative ideas, the Big Ideas Platform strives to facilitate inclusive growth, development, and the realization of the African Renaissance.
The Use of Learning tools to Build awareness of Waste Management: #BigIdeasPlatform2024isHere
Solid Waste Management is a multifaceted problem comprising political, socioeconomic, institutional, and environmental aspects. Due to exponential urban growth, it has become one of the most significant issues faced by urban spaces in developing countries. The gap in environmental knowledge among the youth and the old within developing countries contributes to ecological issues or waste management problems, resulting in unsustainable development, with important consequences in low-income countries. Most of the low/middle-income countries are unable to provide effective waste management collection services because of resource constraints, lack of facilities including vehicles, and infrastructure, improper route planning, lack of technical know-how, and inadequate environmental education and awareness. To sustain SW or environmental issues in developing countries, formal education for sustainable development is essential at all levels of education, able to trigger a whole societal transformation. For better environmental sustainability or waste management sustainability education, teachers with the right knowledge, attitude, skills, and innovation, are required.
Awareness plays a pivotal role in shaping individual behaviours and attitudes towards waste management. Lack of awareness often leads to improper disposal practices such as littering, illegal dumping, and indiscriminate waste disposal, exacerbating environmental degradation and pollution. Educating the public about the environmental consequences of improper waste disposal and the benefits of adopting sustainable practices is crucial for fostering responsible behaviour and promoting a culture of waste reduction and recycling. Learning tools, including educational programs, digital applications, and interactive platforms, offer effective means of disseminating information and engaging individuals in waste management initiatives. Educational programs conducted in schools, communities, and workplaces provide structured learning experiences that raise awareness and promote sustainable waste practices among participants. Digital applications and online platforms offer interactive tools and resources, allowing users to access information, track their waste footprint, and participate in recycling programs conveniently.
The search for improved environmental quality has driven several governments in developing nations to adopt the use of Environmental Education in improving the attitude and behaviour of its citizenry towards waste management. One could ask what is the behaviour of undergraduate students towards waste management in Nigeria. Waste management behaviours are all attitude, disposition and perception towards properly disposing of waste in any environment one finds himself. Waste management behaviour includes open dumping, careless attitude towards properly disposing of institutional waste like food wrappers, torn books or papers, hotel food remains, vegetable remains etc. A degraded environment can only offer a degraded quality of life. If we really desire to sustain and improve upon the present quality of life, then it is the collective responsibility of every living human being to secure the quality of the environment.
It has been repeatedly emphasized that there is an irrepressible need for entrenching Environmental Education as a leading approach to solving environmental problems and creating a sustainable society. The poor as well as the affluent are equally vulnerable to environmental damage. The poor and poverty-stricken people, wherever they may live, are generally preoccupied with the issue of physical survival. They lack money, skills and knowledge and therefore oftentimes, tend to over-utilise local resources beyond sustainable levels. They, therefore, need to be empowered to be able to control their resources and therefore their lives according to the tenets of a sustainable, safe and clean environment for healthy living in society.
The implementation of these learning tools to facilitate Environmental Education faces several challenges, including limited access to technology and cultural differences. Additionally, sustaining public interest and engagement in long-term waste management initiatives requires continuous efforts and resources. These implementation methods and challenges form the basis of the discussions that we will be having at the Big Idea Platform 2024.
In 2023, The School of Politics, Policy & Governance (SPPG) partnered with the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation to launch the inaugural Big Ideas Platform, centered around "Reawakening the African Renaissance: Pathways to Inclusive Growth and Development." Five innovative African leaders shared groundbreaking ideas aimed at improving African communities' quality of life. This year , The School of Politics, Policy & Governance (SPPG) is pleased to announce Big Ideas Platform 2024, in collaboration with the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation, on May 25th, 2024. This year's theme, "Information Technology and Behaviour Change," will convene intellectuals, policymakers, technocrats, and changemakers to discuss transformative ideas and solutions for Africa's inclusive prosperity and sustainable development.
The event is open to the public, and registration is free. It will be a great opportunity to learn from thought leaders and professionals about how we can Use of Learning tools to Build awareness of Waste Management.
Date: May 25, 2024 (Africa Day)
Time: 9:00 AM – 12 PM WAT (GMT+1)
Venue: Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Center, Abuja/ Zoom
Click Here to register for #BIP2024 and stay up to date with event updates.
About the Big Ideas Platform: The Big Ideas Platform is a thought leadership initiative developed by the School of Politics, Policy, and Governance. With a focus on empowering African innovators and amplifying their voices, this platform aims to promote dialogue, collaboration, and action to address the pressing challenges faced by African communities. By highlighting transformative ideas, the Big Ideas Platform strives to facilitate inclusive growth, development, and the realization of the African Renaissance.