Registration & Networking Participants and mentors assemble

Welcome & Innovation Lab Briefing

• Abigail Essel

Explain the challenge, four-day journey, six-month pathway and expected prototype, participant introductions

Climate Challenges & People

• Amos Kabo-Bah (AfriGEO)

Introduce the climate-resilience challenges and the people/institutions affected

From Problems to Solutions

• Vivian Chinwe Nnamdi

Short practical introduction to human-centred design, users, value propositions and assumptions

Team Lab 1: Understand the Problem Teams examine their assigned challenge, identify target users, needs/pain points, existing approaches and underlying assumptions

Problem Review with Mentors Each team presents its problem statement and receives challenge/feedback before designing the solution

From Ideas to Testable Prototypes

• Joshua Opoku Agyemang (IoT Network Hub Africa)

What constitutes a prototype; choosing what needs to be demonstrated rather than building everything

Team Lab 2: Define the Solution Define intervention, value proposition, key user journey, critical assumptions and prototype scope

Day 1 Checkpoint

• Abigail Essel

Output: validated/refined problem statement + target users + proposed intervention + critical assumptions + prototype scope

Team Build Plans Teams present what they intend to demonstrate by the end of the day

Technology Clinic Just-in-time introduction to relevant tools, data, AI, APIs, low/no-code, web/mobile etc. based on actual team needs

Build Sprint 1 Develop core user journey/proof of concept

Build Sprint 2 Build the critical functionality or simulation needed to test the idea

Build Sprint 3 Integrate data/content, complete prototype flow and prepare demonstration

Mentor Prototype Review Mentors test whether the prototype actually demonstrates the team's central proposition

Day 2 Checkpoint

• Amina Ramallan (WACREN)

Output: testable prototype + defined assumptions/questions for user testing

How to Test an Idea

• Chineme Esor

What constitutes useful evidence; testing assumptions rather than asking whether people "like" the prototype

User Testing Round 1

• Zainab Usman

Intended users/domain representatives interact with prototypes; teams observe and collect structured feedback

Team Lab: What Did We Learn? Analyse feedback: confirmed assumptions, rejected assumptions, unexpected findings

Refinement Sprint 1 Prioritise and implement the most important changes

Refinement Sprint 2 Improve prototype and test critical changes

From Prototype to Pilot

• Joshua Opoku Agyemang (IoT Network Hub Africa)

Introduce the transition from a four-day prototype to a six-month development/pilot

Demo & Evidence Preparation Teams prepare problem → evidence → solution → prototype → learning → next-step story

Day 3 Readiness Review

• Amina Ramallan (WACREN)

Output: refined prototype + user evidence + lessons + initial six-month development hypothesis

Registration & Networking Community members, partners and guests arrive

Women in WACREN Community Day Opening

• Abigail Essel

Explain what teams were asked to achieve—and importantly what they were not expected to achieve in four days

Keynote: Women, Technology & Climate Resilience

• Christine Ofulue (NOUN)

Wider context and inspiration

Team Prototype Demonstrations 6 teams × 12 minutes: problem, users, evidence, prototype demonstration, what they learned, what they need to prove next

Expert & Mentor Reflections Structured feedback: desirability, feasibility, potential impact and key unanswered questions

Partner/Community Spotlights Relevant communities and organisations; focus on resources/opportunities that could help teams

Panel: From the Lab to the Boardroom — Building a Leadership Path in STEM Connect innovation activity with women's leadership and professional development

Community Conversation Experiences, connections, country perspectives and opportunities for collaboration

Commitments & Closing

• Abigail Essel

Teams state what they will take forward; mentor/partner acknowledgements and closing