European Development Days. Brainstorming session. Digitalization and resilience to adverse shocks in a developing context.

Wednesday 22 June, 10.45 - 11.30
Brainstorming Room 1
Brussels Expo (Palais 7 and 11), 
Avenue De Miramar / Miramarlaan
B-1020 Brussels.

Moderator: Holy Ranaivozanany, Head of Outreach, Advocacy and Partnerships at the Africa-Europe Foundation

Speakers: 

Antonia Gleizes-Lacombe, Venture Partner Marketing, Impact & Partenariats, Janngo Capital  

Jenny C. Aker, Professor, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

Renée Chao-Beroff,  Chairman-Founder, Wi-Agri 

This session aimed at discussing how digital technologies have helped households, firms and administrations cope with the consequences of the pandemic, but also with other types of adverse shocks:

• Discuss and explain how simple and scalable digital initiatives can improve access to markets, health services and welfare,
• Inform donors, policymakers and the private sector on public sector and market-based solutions in this space,
• Bring together representatives from the digital ecosystem and academia, exchange key insights-experiences-know-how to leverage digital innovations and build resilience to large-scale shocks to health and economic systems,

The focus was on sub-Saharan Africa, where a quarter of the world's mobile innovations are located and where the barriers to development are the greatest.

Jenny Aker: “Digital can’t solve everything but in a context where we can’t meet, learn, earn or trade face-to-face, digital offers us opportunities”.