On February 4, 2024 A2K4D celebrated its Fourteenth Anniversary by holding a workshop titled “Artificial Intelligence, Data and Platform Work: MENA Cases Studies & AI Observatory” at the American University in Cairo (AUC)’s Tahrir Campus. The purpose of the workshop was to share outputs of A2K4D’s research over the past year, where we continue to work towards bringing the voice of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to global debates on issues related to the governance of data and artificial intelligence, new forms of work, social justice, and the digital economy- all from a developmental perspective.
The Center welcomed project partners from across the region including Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Palestine. The workshop was also attended by A2K4D’s wide community of global partners including researchers, academics, policymakers, civil society, and students.
The workshop served as a particularly special occasion with the launch of the MENA AI Observatory a platform the A2K4D team has been developing for the past few years. The MENA AI Observatory is a locally-driven platform aiming to make key contributions to global narratives on responsible data and AI. The Observatory will serve as a regional hub championing MENA voices, providing varied resources in both English and Arabic, and fostering a collaborative network of AI researchers, legal experts and advocates, policy-makers, civil society, and the general public.
The Fourteenth Anniversary Workshop of A2K4D titled “Artificial Intelligence, Data and Platform Work: MENA Cases Studies & AI Observatory.”
The rise of women engaged in new work opportunities in the ‘digital informal sector’ via social media platforms is a relatively novel and rapidly growing phenomenon in Egypt. This has been amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact in terms of accelerated and widespread digitization. One outcome has been the establishment of new micro-scale online businesses led by women, creating new ‘work from home’ scenarios. The purpose of this event was to discuss areas for suggested policy action based on empirical research conducted by A2K4D to benefit similar women digital entrepreneurs and possibly women’s work in the digital economy in general.
A2K4D and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung / Egypt Office (FES Egypt) hosted the launch of the policy brief titled “Women and Work in Egypt’s Informal Digital Economy”.
Finance juniors Salma Afifi, Jumana Elhefnawy and Maya Abu Shahba developed ScanHa to incentivize consumers toward making sustainable fashion choices, promoting conscious consumerism and reducing the industry's environmental impact.
"We want to create a community of environmentally conscious and responsible shoppers without compromising either style or budget," explained Elhefnawy. “ScanHa allows customers to scan the barcodes of clothing items while shopping, showing a sustainability rating for each piece. For high-rated items, the user is encouraged to proceed with the purchase, whereas for low-rated items, the user is redirected toward a more sustainable yet identical alternative. ScanHa also offers incentives and discounts for eco-friendly purchases, which makes sustainable shopping more desirable and accessible.”
Offered by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at AUC’s School of Business in collaboration with the African Engineering and Technology Network (Afretec), a pan-African network that includes universities from across the continent, the competition encourages students to utilize advanced technology (ICT) in order to aid businesses and public establishments in reducing waste and advocating for ethical practices for a more sustainable future.
Competing with more than 200 participants from 14 different African countries, a team of three AUC students won the ICT for Circulatory Competition for their first-of-its-kind mobile app, ScanHa, which allows consumers to scan clothing barcodes to view sustainability ratings and recommendations for more eco-friendly alternatives.
“We all love fashion, but often fail to acknowledge the effects it has on the environment and how damaging it can be."
The idea of the startup app stems from the Entrepreneurship and Innovation course offered by the Business School. The course mirrors the real-world early stage of the entrepreneurial process where students are given the chance to build a business model throughout the semester resulting in a final pitch.
“We had identified the problem of sustainability in the fashion industry early on in the course. However, we just did not know how to go about creating a solution. We first toyed with the idea of creating a fintech app, but it lacked the spark,” Afifi said, “After weeks of research and brainstorming, we landed on the idea of ScanHa.”
The app aims to shift the stigma surrounding the cost of sustainable fashion. “We all love fashion but often fail to acknowledge the effects it has on the environment and how damaging it can be,” Abu Shahba said. “We want to raise awareness by encouraging consumers to make informed decisions. Whether actively seeking sustainable choices or new to the concept, our objective is to simplify the process of sustainable purchases for the consumer to benefit both the society and the environment."
The ScanHa team credits their success in part to their educational journey at AUC< where classes allowed them to hone their pitching skills as well as their ability to identify weak points in their initial thought process to determine the viability of their project.
"Their ultimate victory in Afretec further solidified their excellence."
“Research was instrumental to our success," said Afifi. "Our idea is complex, so clarity and cohesiveness were key. Thanks to the power of research, the guidance of our professor and AUC equipping us with an extensive research base, we were able to readily and smoothly answer the Q&A section of the competition.”
Moataz Darwish '95, associate professor in the School of Business and course instructor, noted, “This team kept passionately exploring their problem space of fast fashion and persistently iterating between multiple solutions for most of the semester whilst their classmates were already finalizing their projects. Their ultimate victory in Afretec further solidified their excellence."
Darwish commended ScanHa’s team diversity. “By combining various thinking styles and personalities, they achieved a well-rounded approach that propelled them to success,” he said.
