Today, the Ideas for Action (I4A) Initiative announced seven winners of its global competition. The annual contest jointly supported by the World Bank and the Zicklin Center of the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania, provides a one-of-a-kind platform for young entrepreneurs, catalyzing innovative ideas to solve the world's most pressing development challenges.
The seven winners were selected from a highly competitive pool of 4,000 global submissions based on their originality and potential to influence policy. The 2020 winners are:
The KABIOF Team in Burundi, led by 25-year-old Delphin Kaze, proposes an eco-friendly charcoal made from biodegradable solid waste to help tackle deforestation and recycle metallic and plastic waste, while fighting indoor air pollution.
From Nigeria, Dronagro, led by 26-year-old Francis Maduakor, presents innovative use of drone technology to help farmers make better decisions about use of pesticide to save money, time and resources.
From Egypt, 28-year-old Mohannad Hesham and his team have developed a recyclable and reusable "Buy me filter" - ceramic water filter providing rural communities with clean water.
Cormo Alimentos from Chile, led by 33-year-old María Francisca Silva, is turning discarded stems, leaves, seeds and vegetable peels, into highly nutritious health products to cut food waste.
China's Angel+ platform, led by 31-year-old Lisha Zhu, is an online community forum that provides children and teenagers with counselling and therapeutic support, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Pakistan, 32-year-old Adnan Ahmed Qureshi's Enhancing Literacy and Numeracy combines innovative technology with simple and cost-effective learning solutions for children, providing digital lessons.
In the Republic of North Macedonia, 19-year-old Elena Bozhinovska's team Walkiie uses mobile app technology to connect friends, family, teachers or volunteers with people with disabilities, supporting them to pursue new activities or schedule specific tasks.
Through networking and promotion supported by the partners, the seven winners will now have a unique opportunity to share their winning ideas in a forthcoming publication, which will be launched in early 2021.
About Ideas for Action
Each year, students and young professionals between the ages of 18-35 years from around the world are invited to participate in the Ideas for Action competition, run by the World Bank in partnership with Zicklin Center at the Wharton Business School (U-Penn). With more than 10,000 young innovators involved each year, the competition supports a diverse body of work represented by young visionaries working tirelessly to achieve the sustainable development goals in their communities around the world.
