Nigerian software developer and technology entrepreneur Charles Onu is the only African selected as one of 12 young leaders from across the globe to participate in the Jeanne Sauvé Public Leadership Programme.
The Jeanne Sauvé Public Leadership Programme, which runs until 2017, is a two-year fellowship organised by the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation.
It aims to convene, engage and empower young leaders from all over the world who are using their skills and expertise in ways that are helping to create a better and more sustainable world.
Onu was one of 12 young leaders selected from over 1,400 applicants, with the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation describing him as a “software developer and humanitarian technology researcher committed to sustainability and balanced resource allocation in Nigeria”.
Onu is the principal innovator behind Ubenwa, a digital health initiative that applies machine learning and mobile technology to provide portable, affordable and reliable diagnosis of birth asphyxia. He was formerly a president at Enactus, and in 2013 co-founded research and development at the Fisher Foundation.
“I am very honoured to find myself among some of the world’s most remarkable young people,” Onu told Disrupt Africa.
“Consequently, I feel motivated to continue pursuing my passion for developing high impact technologies that address social challenges in resource-poor settings. It is my hope to leverage the resources and networks provided by the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation to expand my perspectives and to also advance my social innovation project – Ubenwa – to the next level where it can be globally adopted and scaled to help save lives around the world.”
