Social entrepreneurs in Africa recognised

NINE individuals from seven organisations, all with operations in sub-Saharan Africa, have been recognised as Social Entrepreneurs of the Year by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

They are among 17 recognised globally as Social Entrepreneurs of the Year for 2017. The summit will take place on Monday to Wednesday, just ahead of the World Economic Forum on Africa.

The Social Entrepreneurs of the Year for 2017 active in sub-Saharan Africa are:

Vivek Maru and Sonkita Conteh, Namati, Sierra Leone/ US: Namati trains and supports local paralegals to assist people worldwide who live outside the protection of the law.

Keller Rinaudo, Zipline, Rwanda/ US: Zipline is the first company to use drones to deliver vaccines, medicine and blood for transfusions in rural Rwanda. Its partnership with the country’s government covers 20 hospitals and health centres.

Eleanor Allen, Water for People, US: The company helps four million people access water and sanitation services by helping governments build institutions capable of delivering sustainable services.

Raj Panjabi, Last Mile Health, Liberia/US: Pioneered a model to recruit, train, equip and manage community health workers in rural Liberia. The company’s partnership with the government mobilised 1 300 health workers to stop the spread of Ebola.

Christopher and David Mikkelsen, REFUNITE, Denmark: Helps refugees locate missing family members via a free and easy-to-use mobile platform.

Toby Norman, Simprints, UK: Simprints brings relief to the 1.5 billion people worldwide who lack an ID, by developing an affordable and secure opensource fingerprint system.

Dale Lewis, COMACO, Zambia: Tackles poaching by helping farmers improve their livelihoods by accessing higher-value markets for products.

At the heart of the Solutions Summit will be an effort by social entrepreneurs, plus members of the Forum’s Young Global Leaders and Global Shapers communities, to advance “systems change” by uniting relevant stakeholders.

More than 1 000 participants will take part in the World Economic Forum on Africa in Durban, with the theme “Achieving Inclusive Growth through Responsive and Responsible Leadership”.

The co-chairs are: Winnie Byanyima, executive director, Oxfam International; Siyabonga Gama, chief executive, Transnet; Frederic Lemoine, chairman, Wendel; Rich Lesser, chief executive and president, Boston Consulting Group; and Ulrich Spiesshofer, president and chief executive, ABB. – ANA