Rethinking the Thought: the first Conference of Crazy Ideas in Kano

On 12 May 2018, Digital Development Hub held the first Conference of Crazy Ideas (COCI), also known as the Conference of Innovative Ideas, in Screen 2 of the Filmhouse Cinema at Ado Bayero Mall, Kano. Its theme was "Rethinking the Thought". DD Hub organised it in collaboration with the Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training and the Ilman Nafi'an Education and Development Initiative.

The starting point was a simple frustration: many people with remarkable ideas never get the chance to make them real, while conventional approaches keep failing communities. COCI set out to give unconventional ideas from African talent a platform, and then to work with social impact organisations to turn the most viable into action.

The Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University Kano, Professor Yahuza Bello, represented by the Aminu Kano Centre, declared the conference open. The first elected President of the Commonwealth Youth Council attended, and DD Hub's CEO, Abdulganiyu Rufai Yakub, gave the welcome address and closing remarks.

Four papers followed. Mansur Isa Buhari of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, argued for "Skills Not Degrees", de-emphasising paper qualifications for Nigeria's development. Hauwa El-Yakub, a United Nations development expert, presented "Thinking Out of the Box", a response to the Almajiri challenge in the North that included the idea of a "Digital Tsangaya". Dr Marzuq Abubakar Ungoggo of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, spoke on "Self-Discovery: a Journey Inward". Dr Ahmed Adamu of Umaru Musa Yar'adua University, Katsina, presented "Not Everybody Should Vote", on how Nigeria chooses its political leaders.

The ideas were presented and discussed as proposals, in keeping with the conference's aim of testing thinking that departs from convention. A recurring thread was that technology now runs through every attempt to deliver public service.

The conference resolved that COCI should continue, that the Aminu Kano Centre should carry out a technical review of the ideas, and that policymakers and development partners should move towards adopting innovative ideas. It urged African governments to align their development plans with such ideas, and committed COCI to pursuing partnerships in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. A technical group was also set up to look at matching investable ideas with impact investors and acceleration programmes.

The conference has run again since this first edition. This account of the first edition is drawn from its communiqué.