World Innovation Day: Obaseki Harps On Support Structures For Tech-Driven Solutions To Everyday Problems

… ‘Why we are deploying technology to solving problems in Edo’

Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has said that the state government is deploying technology to solving everyday problems in the state because of the immense benefit and promise technology-driven solutions have shown in transforming societies.

The governor, who said this in commemoration of the World Creativity and Innovation Day celebrated every April 21 by the United Nations, said there was need to build support structures to encourage young people to develop and deploy computing skills and tools to change society, create wealth and impact humanity.

According to him, “At the heart of the reforms we have implemented in the state is the use of technology to make things faster, better and easier. This is evident in education reforms, especially with the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo BEST) programme, retraining of civil servants to be tech-compliant and building an army of young people to develop solutions to change the way we do things.

“As a government, we will continue to create structures and strengthen institutions that will whet the appetite of our people to be creative and innovative in the way they work and lead their lives. That is why we signed up to train our people under a partnership with Microsoft and Tech4Dev. This will help train a good number of our young people to think about and develop tech-driven solutions to everyday problems.”

He added that much as it is imperative to push for these reforms and programmes, there is also a need for the people to come to terms with the reality of the day, which is being determined by technology. He called on Edo people, especially youths, to avail themselves of opportunities to be computer literate and think up innovative solutions to problems bedeviling society.

April 21, 2018 marks the first official World Creativity and Innovation Day (#WCID) to be celebrated. THE UN says the day is observed six days after Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday, and is well positioned to encourage creative multidisciplinary thinking to help us achieve the sustainable future we want.

According to the United Nations, “On World Creativity and Innovation Day, the world is invited to embrace the idea that innovation is essential for harnessing the economic potential of nations. Innovation, creativity and mass entrepreneurship can provide new momentum for economic growth and job creation. It can expand opportunities for everyone, including women and youth. It can provide solutions to some of the most pressing problems such as poverty eradication and the elimination of hunger.”