“Opportunity Collaboration global innovation meeting is an Opportunity for Uganda and Africa to access global innovation resources” says Rwagweri

Stephen Rwagweri has said that Opportunity Collaboration global innovation meeting is an Opportunity for Uganda and Africa to access global innovation resources while speaking at a press conference held on Saturday 1^st October, 2022 after being welcomed from Entebbe Airport after his flight from Dominican Republic

“Those with good ideas are close to resources to implement those good ideas and Opportunity Collaboration provided a very big breakthrough and breaking all the barriers of accessing global resources. The conference was attended by over 500 people and 200 were people who control world resources and 200 are those who implement so we were sitting at the same table to distribute world development resources” Said Rwagweri

He adds, “we are in the era of promoting social innovations as a driver of fighting global poverty and Opportunity Collaboration is indeed a platform for collaboration where people with innovative progressive ideas and energies to execute those ideas converge with people with global resources”

Rwagweri will be received an Internationally Acclaimed Social Innovator of his Time Award from Opportunity Collaboration for his Traditional Artisan Inclusion Innovation.

Rwagweri, who is the Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro NGO and CEO African Continental Crafts Limited has been attending a global summit of innovators in Miches City, Dominican Republic from 25^th to 29^th September, 2022.

While in the Dominican Republic, he pitched his innovation to global Impact investors and discussions are underway with the impact investors to enable him get funding to pilot the innovation across the countries of Africa.

His social innovation (Traditional Artisan Inclusion model) won an Award by Opportunity Collaboration because it is addressing market exclusion leading to extreme poverty among the traditional artisans in Africa as a result of limited product development, design innovations, business skills, digital skills and infrastructure.

The innovation mobilizes capacity to advance product development, design innovations, business practices and digital marketing solutions to drive market access for traditional artisans and adapt them to the main stream creative manufacturing sector.

The innovation  is implemented by “African Continental Crafts Ltd” which is a for profit social enterprise which was first incorporated in Uganda in 2021 and having a business focus on the artisan sector across Africa.