How African-Led Innovations Could Inspire the Future: Lessons from Goalkeepers

From climate change and global warming to rapid technological advancement and the rise of artificial intelligence, the call for sustainable development is louder than ever globally, and Africa is rising to the challenge. For long, the continent has often been framed as a continent of need, marked by humanitarian crises and dependent on aid. But in recent times, Africa is emerging as a continent of solutions – especially through the lens of the Goalkeepers initiative by the Gates Foundation – spotlighting innovators, changemakers and creators rising to the occasion of developing homegrown solutions and mitigating the challenges the continent faces. 

Take Thulile Khanyile, a scientist from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal who in 2016 co-founded Nka’Thuto EduPropeller, a non-profit organisation established to develop, upskill, and empower previously disadvantaged African youth through programs in Sciences, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, Mathematics, and Innovation (STEAMi). 

Nka’Thuto EduPropeller’s programs, such as Ideas To Concept (I2C) Incubation, innovation clubs and urban crop management, operate to bridge the gap between groundbreaking research and practical applications that benefit under-resourced communities, and significantly impact the townships and rural communities in South Africa. These initiatives encourage participants to identify societal challenges, develop technology-driven solutions, and transform these solutions into viable business propositions.

–

The Goalkeepers initiative is rooted in the Gates Foundation’s annual event, which celebrates grassroots innovators such as Thulile Khanyile and Azeez Salawu. These individuals confront some of the world’s toughest challenges to meet the 17 Global Goals by 2030. Across Africa, innovations often arise from necessity rather than luxury – born out of limited funding, difficult economies, and scarce resources. Yet these constraints become sources of strength for innovators like Thulie and Azeez who make do with what they have, turning challenges observed within their communities into opportunities. 

Azeez intended to study computer science, but when he took his university entrance exams, and didn’t get the marks he had hoped for, he found his calling through agriculture. When he was posted to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Abuja for the  National Youth Service Corp, he noticed a gap: everyone was talking about agricultural policy, but no one was thinking about implementation. For example, no one was engaging the farmers who needed seeds to grow healthy crops. There he began to understand agricultural research and what it could do for development in Africa. But above all, he took action. Azeez has since founded and led Community Action for Food Security (CAFS), a nonprofit organization that promotes resilient food systems in Africa. As a member of the Goalkeepers community, he also advocates more broadly for climate action and the goal of zero hunger.

–

One of the key lessons from these Goalkeepers is that innovation can be homegrown. And to build a future that is equitable, inclusive and driven by innovation for all, we must find and fund solutions locally as we continually face challenges across sectors. From grassroots health interventions to tech-driven agricultural solutions, the future we see will be shaped by people who understand their communities, and are solving local problems with local knowledge. People like Patricia Kihoro, a Kenyan artist and content creator, who is using her platform to raise awareness about SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, among other goals. Through her various platforms, she emphasises the importance of transforming mindsets as a step towards achieving social change. Patricia’s insights on the Global Goals inspire audiences to recognise their potential to seize and create opportunities for themselves, leveraging their unique skills and talents.

African solutions will come from Africa-led innovations. And the future of the continent rests on the resilience of its people. On the shoulders of Africans pressing on, discovering, and building even in horrendous conditions. 

Goalkeepers in Africa offer a lesson in resilience, responsibility and imagination and demonstrate how innovation grounded in local realities can inspire a more sustainable future. Their innovations challenge narratives that assume that solutions must come from outside the continent or from wealthy, resource-rich environments. Instead, they highlight the creativity, determination and practical knowledge that emerge when necessity meets opportunity. Innovators embrace constraints as fuel rather than barriers, and redefine what it means to create sustainable progress.

While the continent may be challenged by communities’ inadequate infrastructure, political instability, limited access to quality healthcare and education, high unemployment rates and food insecurity, these obstacles do not limit the efforts of local innovators. These Goalkeepers in Africa are creating access to clean water, employment, climate change solutions, technological advancements, health solutions, disability access and other human interest issues.

The future of the continent is in safe hands, and there is nothing more inspiring.