On April 15, 2021, The Hunger Project joins a panel of global changemakers for the Eco.Tech Talk: A Journey to Sustainability, hosted by Wayout International and moderated by CNN anchor Richard Quest.
The event brings together thought leaders across industries and organizations for an engaging conversation around creating sustainable change through technology and innovation during the Fifth Industrial Revolution. The Hunger Project will be represented by Dr. Daisy Owomugasho, Regional Director for East Africa.
For the purposes of the event, the Fifth Industrial Revolution is summarized as finding a synergy between humans, technology and the environment. The Third and Fourth Industrial Revolutions were hard on humans and equally hard on the environment. The Fifth Industrial Revolution will introduce a new era of collaboration between technology and humanity, with the driving force of finding an equilibrium between the wellbeing of our planet, and our own prosperity.
But while much of the world looks forward to the potential of widespread access to technology, roughly 40% of the global population still doesn’t even have access to the internet. Internet access in low-income countries can specifically benefit women, offering extended education opportunities. Educating girls and women has a great impact on poverty eradication and overall development. The education young women receive, not only in terms of technical schooling but on their bodies and health care, results in more healthy, independent and confident women that can contribute to the local and global economy more effectively.
Digital technology has the power to uplift communities, but first they must be able to access it. The coalescence of sustainability and technology may be at the forefront of the Fifth Industrial Revolution but accessibility for all of humanity must be at the core.
Dr. Owomugasho brings to the conversation a reminder that every branch of the next Industrial Revolution must move forward with access in mind. She will shed light on the challenges and, most importantly, the opportunities that global internet access will bring to rural economies and, specifically, to women as equal earners. Together with her co-panelists, Dr. Owomugasho will explore the role NGOs and corporations will play in this innovative future.
Dr. Owomugasho will join fellow panelists Dedo Baranshamaje, Director of Innovation Segal Family Foundation and Obama Foundation, Åsa Tamson, Senior Vice President Ericsson, Naza Alakija, Founder S.A.G.E Innovation and Senior Advisor UNICEF, Björn Öste, Co-Founder and CEO of Good Idea Drinks, Craig Smith, Marriott International Group President and Managing Director, and Jeroen Harderwijk, Co-Founder and CEO of Asilia Africa.
Photo: Community member smiling and showcasing the interior of his house, Malawi, 2019.
