BDT导演角：演讲

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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening, and a warm welcome to Innovate2Connect, our next stop on the Road to Addis. 

As the title suggests, today we will dive into a key enabler, or better said, a critical enabler of meaningful connectivity, and that is innovation.

Perhaps this sounds a little obvious. We all know that the big tech names invest in and employ large R&D teams that are pushing the envelope of what digital can do in cutting-edge fields like AI, robotics or augmented reality.

But this is not what we will focus on today.

Instead, we're going to focus on the local, grassroots, entrepreneur-driven innovation that, in its own way, could dramatically re-energize progress towards the 17 SDGs and ultimately change the lives of billions who remain cut off from the power of the digital world.

Because it's in the world's developing countries and emerging economies that innovation can play its most powerful role as a driver of digitally-led development.

The populations of the world's poorest nations often lack access to opportunities, even formal education, but they do not lack ingenuity, talent or entrepreneurial drive.

It's quite the contrary, and challenging circumstances tend to breed 'natural engineers', who instinctively learn sophisticated problem-solving skills to manage day-to-day life.

Pairing this huge store of entrepreneurial energy with the power and reach of digital could be the transformational force we need to advance global development by leaps and bounds.

But right now, we're somewhat failing to harness this energy and creativity.

So in today's session, we're going to explore digital innovation through the eyes of a young entrepreneur, and, with the help of our special guests, we'll try to pin down the elements needed to build a successful and sustainable local ecosystem and create a 'virtuous circle', where entrepreneurship drives innovation to accelerate digital transformation.

Let's not forget that our success will lie in keeping our focus firmly on people.

We need to work collaboratively with grassroots entrepreneurs and communities, recognizing that they can teach us at least as much as we can teach them.

We need to empower people and communities with the means to innovate for themselves.

And, perhaps most importantly, we need to harness the energy and enthusiasm of youth.

So let's open our discussion and dive deep into what makes a sustainable, innovation-friendly digital ecosystem that will empower budding young geniuses to develop solutions to some of our most stubborn development issues.

Thank you.

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