Session
International Telecommunication Union
Onsite Moderator:
- Ms. Anne-Rachel Inne, Regional Director, Regional Office for Africa, ITU
- Ms. Caroline Gaju, Programme Officer, Regional Office for Africa, ITU
- Dr. René Arnold, Vice President Public Affairs Strategy, Huawei
- Ms. Karen Woo, Project Officer, ITU
- Mr. Sameer Sharma, Senior Advisor, ITU
- Mr. Andy Hu, Director of Corporate Communications, Huawei
Online Moderator: Emmanuel Niyikora, ITU and Kenneth Msiska, ITU
Rapporteur: Martha Gezahegn, ITU and Karen Woo, ITU
Welcome Remarks:
- Ms. Anne-Rachel Inne, Regional Director, Regional Office for Africa, ITU
- H.E. Julia Niblett, Australian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Non-resident Ambassador to Djibouti, Non-resident Ambassador-designate to Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Representative to the African Union, UNECA and IGAD; and
- Mr. Karl Song, Vice President, Corporate Communications Department, Huawei
Opening Remarks: H.E. Dr. Beleste Molla, Minister of Innovation and Technology, Ethiopia
Keynote: Mr. Cowin Cao, Deputy CEO of Huawei Ethiopia
ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission Working Group on Smartphone Access: Mr. Matthew Harrison-Harvey, Chief External Affairs and Regulatory Officer, Safaricom
ITU/World Bank Open Data Initiative:
- Mr. Sameer Sharma, Senior Advisor, ITU
- Ms. Alice Munyua, Senior Director, Africa Mradi, Mozilla Corporation
Introduction to Connect2Recover and Research Competition:
- Professor Ahmad Reza Sharafat, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Tarbiat Modares University, I. R. Iran
- Mr. Sameer Sharma, Senior Advisor, ITU
Session 1: Digital Inclusion - Health:
Moderator: Ms. Caroline Gaju, Programme Officer, ITU
- Dr. Ki-Hong Park, Research Scientist, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Dr. Lasisi Salami Lawal, Senior Research Fellow, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria
- Dr. Benet Henry, Medical Practitioner, A-MEDIC Inc., Dominica
- Dr. David Botchie, Senior Lecturer, Brunel University, United Kingdom
Remarks: Dr. Cosmas Zavazava, Chief, Partnerships for Digital Development and (Director Telecommunications Development Bureau-Elect)
Session 2: Digital Inclusion - Education:
Moderator: Dr. René Arnold, Vice President Public Affairs Strategy, Huawei
- Mr. Michael Canares, Strategic Advisor, Step Up Consulting, Philippines
- Mr. Hassan Mohammed Yakubu, Architect, School of Architecture, Planning & Design, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Morocco
- Dr. Wondwossen Mulualem Beyene, Freelance Researcher, Hawassa University
Session 3: Digital Inclusion - Job Creation:
Moderator: Ms. Karen Woo, Project Officer, ITU
- Mr. PK Senyo, Associate Professor, FinTech & Information Systems, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
- Dr. Thorsten Jelinek, Director and Senior Fellow, Taihe Institute, China
- Dr. Reason Masengu, Senior Lecturer (Marketing), Middle East College, Muscat, Oman
Session 4: Digital Inclusion - Vulnerable Persons:
Moderator: Mr. Sameer Sharma, Senior Advisor, ITU
- Dr. Fredrick Kanobe, Lecturer, Kyambogo University, Kampala, Uganda
- Dr. Maniam Kaliannan, Associate Professor, School of Business, University of Nottingham Malaysia
Session 5: Digital Connectivity and Resilience:
Moderator: Mr. Andy Hu, Director of Corporate Communications, Huawei
- Mr. William Baraza, Director and CEO, African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI), Kenya
- Mr. Leonard Mabele, Research Fellow, Telecommunications & Manager, Internet of Things (IoT) Research, Strathmore University, Kenya
- Ms. Ndinelao Iitumba, Masters Student, Department of Computer Science, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Remarks: Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU, and ITU Secretary-General elect
Panel Discussion
Moderator: Ms. Anne-Rachel Inne, Regional Director, Regional Office for Africa, ITU
Panelists:
- Dr. David Botchie, Senior Lecturer, Brunel University, United Kingdom
- Mr. Michael Canares, Strategic Advisor, Step Up Consulting, Philippines
- Dr. Thorsten Jelinek, Director and Senior Fellow, Taihe Institute, China
- Dr. Maniam Kaliannan, Associate Professor, School of Business, University of Nottingham Malaysia
- Ms. Ndinelao Iitumba, Masters Student, Department of Computer Science, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Ms. Anne-Rachel Inne, Ms. Caroline Gaju, Dr. René Arnold, Ms. Karen Woo, Mr. Sameer Sharma, Mr. Andy Hu
Emmanuel Niyikora, ITU and Kenneth Msiska, ITU
Martha Gezahegn, ITU and Karen Woo, ITU
1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-Being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
Targets: The 15 research reports focus on digital inclusion in the areas of education, healthcare, jobs and enterprises, communities and cities, as well as vulnerable groups (women, elderly, those with special needs), and in the area of digital connectivity and resilience (infrastructure).
Presentation and breakout session
Best Practices and Recommendations for Digital Inclusion through Resilient Infrastructure event features outcomes from 15 research teams that were the winners of Connect2Recover research competition. These reports focus on digital inclusion in education, healthcare, jobs, and affecting vulnerable groups, as well as the importance of digital resiliency, building from lessons learned from COVID-19 and providing a rich diversity of research and case studies from 17 countries. The event will be opened by H.E. Dr. Beleste Molla, Minister of Innovation and Technology, Ethiopia. The event will launch the 15 Research Reports and ITU Publication “Build Back Better with Broadband: Research stories from the frontline. During the event, Huawei will also share a keynote. In addition, two other related collaborations, the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission Report on Smartphone Access and the ITU/World Bank Open Data Initiative will also be shared during the event.
The session will be in hybrid format from 10 am to 6 pm.