Innovators from the Global South are developing impactful solutions for critical issues like malaria and renewable energy, yet many struggle to reach those who need them most. Masaki Umeda, co-founder of SORA Technology, initially launched his drone startup in Japan in 2020 with a focus on delivering medical supplies to remote African areas. However, discussions with health ministries highlighted a more urgent need: utilizing their AI-powered solutions to combat malaria, a disease that claims over half a million lives annually across the continent.
Umeda explained, “We fly drones in targeted areas and collect raw data. Then the AI tools identify the location and characteristics of bodies of water such as turbidity, temperature ranges, and nearby vegetation, all of which allow us to classify the risk of breeding sites.” This precise data enables government agencies to direct ground spraying efforts to high-risk areas, optimizing resource allocation amidst shrinking aid budgets.
SORA Technology’s potential to save lives and reduce costs earned Umeda an invitation to the UN’s 2026 Science and Technology Forum as a “featured innovator.” He joined other early-stage solution developers from diverse backgrounds, all committed to addressing real-world challenges. These startups offer a wide array of solutions, including e-waste recycling in Zambia, solar energy solutions in Argentina, and community-based renewable energy hubs in Nigeria. Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, emphasized that “innovation is most effective when paired with collaboration, local ownership, and clear pathways to scale.”
Untapped Talent: A Gap in Inclusion, Not Innovation
The UN’s Featured Innovator program aims to highlight the vast talent, particularly from developing countries, that remains underutilized due to limited access to finance, technology, and opportunities. Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), stated at the Forum, “This is not a gap in innovation. It is a gap in inclusion. Too many innovators remain disconnected from finance and markets. Too many solutions do not reach the communities that need them most.”
Professor Rita Orji, Canada Research Chair in Persuasive Technology at Dalhousie University, understands these challenges. Growing up in a remote Nigerian village without electricity or running water, she did not encounter a computer until university. Despite these obstacles, she graduated with first-class honors in computer science, driven by a desire to improve her community. Orji shared her story to underscore the “extraordinary talents” across the Global South who, unlike her, are excluded not due to a lack of ability but a lack of access.
Rethinking AI Development: Learning from the Global South
Orji argues that digital tools designed by talented individuals within the Global South are crucial for ensuring their effectiveness. She challenges the conventional model of technology transfer, where solutions are developed in the North and then adapted for the South. “That model is backwards,” she asserted. “The Global South should not be treated as a late adopter of intelligent design elsewhere. It should help lead in shaping what intelligence becomes.”
Most current AI tools assume users are literate, English-speaking, and digitally fluent, excluding a significant portion of the global population. This renders them “technically brilliant but developmentally useless for those who need them most,” according to Orji. She posed a critical question: “The question before us today is not whether the Global South is ready for the AI future, but whether the Global AI future is ready to learn from the Global South.”
