Digital for Development (D4D) Prize: highlights
On Thursday 24 November, the D4D Prize was awarded. Three projects linked to Enabel were nominated. A look back at this memorable day.
The D4D Prize, which is awarded every two years, rewards initiatives that use digitisation as a lever for development. The selected projects and ideas use the potential of (new) technologies in an innovative way with a view to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations.
The Prize is an initiative of the Royal Museum for Central Africa with the support of the Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (DGD).
It aims at stimulating the activities of new and existing actors from here and elsewhere in the Digital for Development field, to raise awareness among the general public in Belgium and to structurally integrate the Digitalisation for Development approach into Belgian development cooperation programmes.
Spotlights on three nominees
TTE Sandbox (Enabel Uganda)
The challenges presented by the coronavirus disease call for a new way of delivering education. Enabel responded by supporting Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports to develop and implement a distance learning strategy called the “Sandbox”. It is piloted in the country’s 5 National Teachers Colleges in order to learn lessons for Uganda’s entire education sector. The Sandbox steps away from traditional teaching methods and embraces the use of technology. The innovation offers a testing environment for education technology (EdTech), making full use of the potential of teachers to respond to the current education crisis by introducing various ICT tools and practices that facilitate and enhance distance learning during and post Covid-19 pandemic.
Farm agriculture digitisation project in Mali
The project is led by a consortium of two Malian digital start-ups run by women, (AgriBox and BI MUSSO) and the sub-regional network Agri Vision Sahel (AVS). This consortium’s digital solutions and applications offer services that are adapted to the social and economic situation of the farmers and women processors with a view to boosting agricultural yields at low cost and to improving the flow of goods to growth markets.
Following deliberation, the project won the iStandOut prize. This prize is awarded to good Digital for Development practices with a strong vision for future collaboration between the partner countries.
Scratc²h 2050: Supporting Coding among Rwandan Adolescents & Teachers through the Curriculum & Clubs Heading for Rwanda 2050
In the framework of Scratc²h 2050, learners are introduced to coding principles in the classroom as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering et Mathematics) and ICT teachers integrate Scratch in STEM and ICT courses. The coding clubs, next, provide opportunities to truly develop digital skills in an enjoyable environment, combining fun with learning the language of generation Z: the programming language. To this end, VVOB, the Flemish Association for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance, trains secondary school STEM and ICT teachers through blended learning on coding and its benefits. After training, the teachers continue to develop professionally through participation in ongoing online and biannual face-to-face ScratchEd Meet-ups. Scratc²h 2050 is supported by Wehubit, our social digital innovation programme.
Congratulations to these 3 projects for proudly promoting digitisation and for their high-quality approach and solutions.
On the occasion of the innovation fair organized in parallel with the D4D award ceremony, members from the Enabel D4D team had the opportunity to exchange with the participants on different technologies and projects in digitalization. Congratulations to Wehubit and the AU-EU D4D Hub for their initiatives and contributions to the stand.
Questions? Contact: digitalisation@enabel.be – enabel.be/digitalisation
© Copyright photos: Kris Pannecoucke
