An organisation helping Palestinian tech talent secure remote jobs, a sustainable fish leather producer in Morocco, a provider of solar-powered medical kiosks in Chad and a Peruvian company narrowing the education gap through WhatsApp learning are just four of 16 new innovative solutions from around the world that have joined the Expo Live Innovation Programme.
The programme’s seventh cycle, which attracted more than 1,000 submissions, focused on tackling a wide range of global challenges spanning education to environment, employment to healthcare. The 16 selected projects hail from 15 countries, including 10 from Africa and two projects active in the Middle East. They were chosen from a final shortlist of 22 for their positive impact on their communities and on the planet. Each will receive funding, technical guidance, support, exposure and access to networking opportunities.
Yousuf Caires, Executive Director, Expo Live Innovation Programme, said: “We have been blown away by the quality of the projects and are thrilled to welcome these Global Innovators to the Expo City Dubai family, where we look forward to nurturing and supporting their ideas, helping them grow, develop and expand, and sharing that knowledge with the global community to create even greater impact.
“These exciting solutions are already empowering youth, women and vulnerable communities, improving lives and tackling challenges across crucial sectors such as agriculture, education, healthcare and waste management. At Expo City, collaboration and innovation to drive progress is at the core of everything we do. We look forward to working with these projects to maximise their potential to help create a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous future for all.”
Expo City Dubai provides a platform for businesses, organisations and entrepreneurs from around the world to forge meaningful partnerships, share future-focused, sustainable solutions and work together to help these ideas take root, grow and thrive. The 16 projects selected in the seventh cycle, listed below, take the total number of Expo Live-supported social entrepreneurs to 191 from 92 countries.
Expo Live was initiated under Expo 2020 Dubai and continues as part of Expo City, backing projects that improve people’s lives or preserve the planet and accelerating entrepreneurial spirit. The programme’s first five cycles positively impacted 5.8 million people worldwide, restoring 36 million hectares of land, offsetting 190,000 tonnes of CO2, and saving 6.3 million litres of water.
| ORGANISATION | IMPLEMENTED IN | FROM | PROJECT DESCRIPTION |
| Bees Tech Community | Palestine | USA | Securing remote jobs for Palestinian tech talents who face limited income opportunities, aiding family sustenance and boosting Palestine’s economy. |
| B.O.T. Bridge. Outsource. Transform | Lebanon, Jordan, UAE | Lebanon, UAE | Tech solutions that enable excellent data services, creating work opportunities for underprivileged Arab youth and enhancing quality native data services for startups. |
| Cool Lion Energies | Cote d’Ivoire | Cote d’Ivoire | Reducing food spoilage from farms by training youths in green construction, using local materials to build eco-friendly storage. |
| Cropfix by eAgro | Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe | Mobile technology to deliver tailored agronomy advice to empower farmers with efficient, climate-smart practices. |
| Edge Tec SAC | Peru, Chile, Ecuador and other Latin American countries | Peru | Addressing education inequity through accessible micro-learning solutions to empower learners regardless of location or background. |
| eSusFarm Africa | Nigeria, Kenya | South Africa | Blockchain weather index insurance to reduce insurance costs, accelerate payment times and address climate risks for smallholder farms. |
| GeoAircon | Pakistan | Pakistan | Providing a new, affordable and sustainable form of low-cost ground heat exchange system that saves energy required for air conditioning. |
| Kosmotive | Rwanda | Rwanda | Providing affordable, eco-friendly sanitary products and menstrual health awareness. |
| Le Lionceau | Senegal | Senegal | Creating nutritious baby food from under-utilised African crops to enhance climate resilience and improve food security. |
| Mega Gas Alternative Energy | Kenya | Kenya | Providing community kitchens powered by renewable energy to ensure low-income families have access to clean and affordable cooking energy. |
| NaTakallam | Global, primarily Lebanon, Türkiye, Jordan, Mexico, USA, France, Canada, Indonesia | USA | Hiring refugees to deliver online language services, breaking social and economic isolation. |
| Smartcore Enterprise Limited | Tanzania | Tanzania | Offers interactive digital content to address educational gaps for out-of-school children. |
| SeaSkin | Morocco | Morocco | Training youth and women in coastal villages to produce sustainable fish leather and related products, resolving fish waste management issues and creating employment. |
| Sejolly PLT | Malaysia | Malaysia | A digital assistive tool that encourages communication collaboration between educators and parents of neurodivergent children to ensure continuous learning. |
| Telemedan | Chad | Chad | Supplying telemedicine kiosks powered by solar energy to connect underserved communities with healthcare services. |
| Yna Kenya | Kenya | Kenya | Providing electric motorcycles to solve last-mile delivery inefficiencies, reducing pollution and promoting gender equality in urban transportation. |
