Through the Connect2Recover initiative, ITU has organized the "Connect2Recover Research Competition" to identify promising research proposals that will accelerate digital inclusion during the COVID-19 recovery globally. ITU was pleased to recognize the support of ITU-D Sector Member Huawei for their support in this competition. ​

This is the first time that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the specialised agency of the United Nations for information and communication technologies, has organised an international competition under Connect2Recover. This offers an unprecendented opportunity to contribute towards digital inclusion during the pandemic.

Meet the Winners

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No	Name	Country​	Institution	Winning Proposal
1	Michael P. Cañares	Philippines​	Step Up Consulting​	Making Higher Education Truly Inclusive
2	William Baraza	Kenya	African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI)	Market Resilience in Emerging Digital Economies: Case Study of Kenya During Covid-19 Pandemic
3	Stan Karanasios	Australia	University of Queensland	Digital Transformation of Micro-Enterprises in Ghana
4	Joseph Sevilla	Kenya	Strathmore University	Rebuilding Digital Inclusion for the Rural Counties of Kenya
5	Melissa Densmore	South Africa	University of Cape Town	CoLRN: A Community-based Vision for Local Resilient Networks
6	Hassan Radoine	Morocco	Mohammed VI Polytechnic University	A Policy Framework for Education Resilience
7	Mohamed-Slim Alouini	Saudi Arabia	King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)	Network in a Box to Provide Health Services in Remote Areas
8	Michael Max Bühler	Germany	University of Applied Sciences Konstanz (HTWG)	Creating a Blueprint for Africa's Transition Towards an Inclusive and Competitive Digital Economy: Identifying Potential Industries, Stakeholders, and Use Cases for the Development of a Federated Digital Platform and Advanced Services with a Focus on Botswana
9	Fredrick Kanobe	Uganda	Kyambogo University	An Assessment of Digital Inclusion among the Vulnerable Persons in Developing Economies: A Comparative Study between Uganda and South Africa Economies
10	Lasisi Salami Lawal	Nigeria	Federal University of Technology	Digital Health Inclusion to Enhance Nigeria's Health Service Delivery
11	Wondwossen Mulualem Beyene	Ethiopia	Freelance researcher	Determinants of Digital Inclusion in Higher Education: Exploring the Ethiopian Context
12	Maniam Kaliannan	Malaysia	School of Business, University of Nottingham	How Contemporary Digital Inclusion Strategies can Reinvigorate the Quality of Life for the Elderly Population in Post-COVID Malaysia?
13	Benet C. Henry MD	Dominica	A-MEDIC Inc; Optipharm Eye Centre	Telemedicine: An Approach in the Management of Chronic Diseases in Dominica
14	Forbes Makudza	Zimbabwe	Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences	The Digital Financial Inclusion of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of the COMESA Region into Electronic Business During and Post COVID-19 Pandemic
15	Edward Asiedu	Ghana	University of Ghana	Digital Health Provision Through Telemedicine Ecosystem In Sub-Saharan Africa

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For more information on the winners and the jury, click below to download the Winning Projects Booklet: 

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