Webinar "Unleashing African Youth Innovation and Creativity Potential during and post-COVID-19"

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a period of uncertainty millions of young people in Africa, disrupting schools and academic calendars, forcing businesses to close and exacerbating job uncertainty and unemployment, with the entertainment and social gatherings having been impacted negatively.

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a serious challenge to the global economy but it has also presented an opportunity, notably for several young people across the continent to proffer innovative and creative solutions to the numerous needs of their peers and neighborhoods. In several cases, these solutions have helped place their communities ahead of the curve, changing processes and providing lifesaving systems.

From the production of hand sanitizers and protective equipment to the development of reliable data forecasting using social media technologies, the youth are also leading sophisticated inventions as ventilators or sensor-enabled sanitizing equipment, thus demonstrating outstanding skills and innovation to bring solutions in the struggle to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Riding on the momentum built from the first webinar on harnessing the Power of Sport in a time of Crisis: Engaging African Youth in the Fight against COVID-19 and beyond, this webinar is designed to create a platform for experience sharing for youth, by youth and on the youth-led innovative solutions tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. It will offer a safe space for discussions and exchange of ideas and experience on challenges young people face in the innovation path. The Webinar will therefore address young innovators experiences and challenges, enabling environment for their solutions to upscale social impact across the continent, as well as their motivations and resilience capacity.  It will also explore the support available across Africa and the pre-conditions to leverage on such opportunities as well as examine the existing solutions and legal frameworks available to protect youth innovation.