Innovators across the Global South are developing practical solutions to major global challenges, but many remain excluded from the funding, technology and market opportunities needed to bring their ideas to scale. From malaria prevention to renewable energy and e-waste recycling, locally driven innovations are showing strong potential but often struggle to reach the communities that need them most.
SORA Technology, a drone startup launched in Nagoya in 2020, originally focused on delivering medical supplies to remote areas in Africa. After discussions with health ministries, the company shifted its attention toward malaria prevention, using drones and artificial intelligence to identify mosquito breeding sites and support more targeted spraying efforts.
The company’s drones collect data from targeted areas, while AI tools analyse water bodies, vegetation, temperature and other conditions that may indicate mosquito breeding risk. This information helps government agencies and spraying teams focus on high-risk locations instead of covering large areas indiscriminately, making malaria control more efficient and cost-effective.
In a time of shrinking aid budgets and limited public resources, cost-effective innovation is becoming increasingly important. Technologies like SORA’s can help governments save money while protecting lives, especially in regions where mosquito-borne diseases continue to cause severe health impacts.
SORA Technology was featured at the UN’s 2026 Science and Technology Forum alongside other early-stage innovators working on development challenges, including e-waste recycling in Zambia, solar energy in Argentina and community renewable energy hubs in Nigeria. These examples show how locally relevant innovation can address urgent needs when supported by collaboration and pathways to scale.
UN officials emphasized that the challenge is not a lack of innovation, but a lack of inclusion. Many innovators in developing countries remain disconnected from finance, markets and global networks, meaning promising solutions often fail to reach the people who would benefit most.
The story of Professor Rita Orji highlights this wider problem. Raised in a remote village in southeastern Nigeria without electricity or running water, she entered computer science without ever having used a computer closely. Despite these barriers, she graduated with first-class honours and went on to become a leading researcher in persuasive technology.
Her experience reflects the reality faced by many talented people across the Global South. They are not excluded because they lack ability, but because they lack access to tools, infrastructure and opportunities. This limits the world’s ability to benefit from ideas shaped by lived experience in the communities most affected by development challenges.
Orji argues that digital tools built within the Global South are more likely to solve real local problems because they are designed by people who understand the context. Too often, technology is developed in the Global North, introduced into the Global South and only later adapted for affordability, language and local conditions.
This model can result in tools that are technically advanced but not useful for the majority of people. Many AI systems assume users are literate, English-speaking and digitally fluent, excluding large populations who need accessible and practical technology the most.
The article highlights a critical question for the future of global innovation: whether the AI and technology ecosystem is ready to learn from the Global South. If development solutions are to be effective, they must be shaped by local knowledge, local innovators and the realities of the communities they aim to serve.
The key message is clear: solutions from the Global South already exist, but they need financing, visibility, partnerships and fair access to markets. Supporting these innovators is essential for building more inclusive, practical and effective responses to global challenges in health, energy, climate and sustainable development.
