2^nd year Bachelor of Business Information Technology (BBIT) student Stephen Mokoro will be among 100 University Students across the world, attending the 11^th Edition of the prestigious South American Business Forum (SABF) after a competitive selection process. The event will be held from 6^th – 8^th August, 2015 in Buenos Aires, Argentina where 40 prominent international leaders from different areas across the globe are expected to be in attendance. The forum will provide an excellent platform to encourage dialogue between future and present leaders, generating ideas which may contribute directly to sustainable development.

 

The theme for this year’s forum is The Challenge of Inclusion derived from the need to defragment the world; integrating those who are not in the social framework so as to push new waves of innovation that includes them in the global market. These integration should be achieved through creation of structures and platforms that overcome the present limitations and internal conflicts.

 

The competition, which was open to university students from all over the world involved interested students submitting detailed and comprehensive personal profile crowned with a 1,800 word essay entry. The essay focused on either of the following subtopics delving into the main theme: Redirecting Innovation, The Resource Dilemma, and Empowering South America.

In his essay entry, Stephen focused on Redirecting Innovation through Student Research. He asserts that research contributes greatly to innovation and invention directed at solving societal problems. Researchers are observant and solution oriented and are arguably the most informed on societal challenges. For the world to achieve inclusive innovation, measures must be put in place to ensure that the marginalized and excluded groups are brought on board as stakeholders in the innovation process. The notion that innovation must be driven by a few individuals is no longer tenable.

 

Guided student research should be used to unearth innovations from the marginalized to solve societal challenges. The findings by the students should then form the basis of discussions on the way forward by scholars and policy makers and be used to devise inventions and innovations to best address societal challenges, said Stephen.

 

Stephen will be provided with accommodation, meals and internal logistics within Argentina for the days of the conference by the organizers but will have to seek funding for the air ticket to and from Argentina and other travel logistics.

 

Any support granted to him will be appreciated.

 

Stephen can be reached through: Stephen.mokoro@strathmore.edu or +254719508386.

 

Click here to access Stephen’s essay entry.