This article was originally published by Transparency International Secretariat.

Alexise Ouedraogo, a TV journalist from Cote d’Ivoire, Victor Akinwande, a software developer from Nigeria, and Lawrence Yealue, a technology activist from Liberia have been chosen as the winners of Transparency International’s Social Entrepreneurs Initiative for West Africa competition, Transparency International said today.

The Social Entrepreneurs’ Initiative is run by the International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) within Transparency International with the aim of empowering young people to fight corruption in their own communities. This is the first time that it has been run in West Africa.

Over 65 entries from young people aged 18 to 35 from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, were submitted for the competition, focussing on the theme ‘Promoting Integrity in the Education Sector’.

Selected by the judging panel for their creativity and potential impact, the three winning ideas aim to raise awareness and take action to combat the devastating impact of corruption in education through films, infographics and SMS technology.

“The competition proved that young people from West Africa have great ideas to defeat corruption. Submissions showed deep understanding of how corruption affects young people’s future and how they can be part of the solution,” said Transparency International Board Member Rueben Lifuka who served on the jury of the competition.

Launched in partnership with the Open Society Institute for West Africa (OSIWA), the Social Entrepreneurs Initiative (SEI) for West Africa supports innovative ideas from young entrepreneurs who aspire to boost transparency and create positive change in their communities.

The 2014 competition was judged by Abdul Tejan-Cole, Executive Director of OSIWA; Rueben Lifuka, Member of Transparency International Board; Miklos Marschall, Deputy Managing Director of Transparency International Secretariat; Emmanuel Sanyi, Manager of Education Information Services International Cameroon and Member of Global Youth Anti-Corruption; and Njoya Tikum, Regional Policy and Programme Advisor, Anti-Corruption & Economic Governance at United Nations Development Programme.

The competition winners will be honoured at a ceremony to be held at the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference in October 2014, in Tunisia.

THE WINNERS

• Victor Akinwande (20) – Nigeria – Budget transparency tool on education spending.
• Alexise Evelyne Ouedraogo (28) – Côte d’Ivoire – Sensitization documentary on the effects of corruption on school girls.
• Lawrence Yealu (35) – Liberia – SMS reporting and integrity clubs in secondary schools.

WINNERS WILL RECEIVE

• An award, each worth  $3000 cash
• A sponsorship to attend the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference to be held in Tunisia in October 2014.

For further details about the competition, log onto https://16iacc.org/game-changers/social-entrepreneurs/west-africa-competition/

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