For the last decade, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Benin has developed and implemented a number of IT centered innovation initiatives, with a focus on youth and technology. In coordination with the UNFPA offices of Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso, a #Tech4Youth initiative was developed to offer a sub-regional IT youth platform, with educational tools and innovative components. In parallel, in support to Sèmè City, the city of Innovation of Benin, UNFPA Benin supported the establishment of the Task force Innov Covid-19 for local youth resilience and digital innovation in Benin in the challenging context of the COVID-19 response.
To scale up the impact and sustainability of these initiatives, to create lasting impact for beneficiary populations, there is a need strengthen the specialized technical assistance to develop and nurture digital innovation ecosystems through an open innovation approach. Through ITU, this project seeks to assist, nurture and support the local digital innovation ecosystem of the Republic of Benin and develop uses cases that can be applied for other countries in the region for the development of a sustainable and inclusive initiatives to accelerate inclusive digital transformation.
