Today we attended Falling Walls Lab Lagos, an event that supports ideas and innovations from academics. Hosted by the German Consulate Lagos, the Nigerian arm of German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the University of Ibadan, it was the first-ever Falling Walls event in Nigeria so we were excited to be there.
What is Falling Walls?
Falling Walls was initiated on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall (9th November 1989) to answer the question “Which walls will fall next?”
Leaders from the worlds of science, business, politics, the arts and society come together to promote exceptional ideas and connect promising scientists and entrepreneurs from all fields on a global level.
As Mr. Herbert Ingo said during the event, “there are too many walls being erected and we need to break them down.”
What is the Falling Walls Lab?
Founded by the Falling Walls Foundation, the Falling Walls Lab is a local forum for innovators and creative thinkers from various disciplines to present their research work, business model, or initiative for the opportunity to present on a global stage at the Falling Walls Lab Finale in Berlin in November 2018.
What happened during the event?
For this Lagos Lab event, there were 152 applicants but the 17 participants who pitched were chosen because of their ideas, visions, social initiatives, or business models. These participants came from multisectoral backgrounds – nutrition, health, technology, finance, youth, entertainment, international development, and energy – and each had 3 minutes to present their ideas.
The judges for the event were:
- Professor Wole Soyinka, Nigerian playwright, poet, essayist and Nobel Laureate
- Professor Pat Utomi, Founder, Center for Values in Leadership
- Professor Idowu Olayinka, Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan
- Mrs. Onyeche Tifase, CEO, Siemens Nigeria
- Dr. Enase Okonedo, Dean, Lagos Business School
- Mr. Folabi Esan, President, Nigerian German Business Association
- Dr. Jean-Marc Ricca, Country Cluster Lead, BASF West Africa
- Professor Remi Sonaiya, Politician, Educationist and Writer, Obafemi Awolowo University
- Professor Remi Raji, Writer and Teacher, University of Ibadan
- Mr. Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, Technology Journalist, Channels TV & Guardian Nigeria
- Professor Clement Adebooye, Ambassador Scientist, German Humboldt Foundation
And the winner was Dr. Agema Agatha, who plans to use Moringa oleifera to scientifically purify water, breaking the wall of clean water access.
In addition to the 17 pitch presentations, there were literary performances in German, English, and Hausa by 3 students.
What’s next?
The selected winner Dr. Agema Agatha will travel to Berlin to participate in the Lab Finale, where there will be presentations from 99 other winners from Labs across the world. She will also attend the Falling Walls Conference, where more than 600 guests from 75 nations are expected to attend, including representatives from politics, science, industry, business, and society.
Congratulations Dr. Agatha! Well done. We are proudly cheering for you and look forward to seeing your project succeed.
