05.12.2024
Innovation for transformation
The ‘Suli Innovation House’ in Iraq is a place that creates ideas for a more digital economy as well as jobs for young people.
Digital transformation in Iraq is gathering steam. One of its engines is the ‘Suli Innovation House’ (SiH) in Sulaymaniyah, a city with more than a million inhabitants in the north-east of the country. Founder Ravin Rizgar has created an inspiring space in the city – with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The centre is a buzzing meeting place for tech enthusiasts and budding entrepreneurs. It provides young people with the tools and skills they need to succeed in the digital economy. ‘With the right skills, they can all bring their ideas to life’, says Rizgar, a mechatronics engineering graduate.
The focal point is the ‘maker space’, equipped with state-of-the-art technology such as 3D printers and laser cutters. Here, participants can develop their business ideas and create prototypes. GIZ and the SiH offer practical training in advanced computer skills, programming logic and soft skills. Women receive targeted support to improve their labour market prospects. Around 600 participants, 47 per cent of whom are women, have so far benefited from the support. More than half have found secure jobs or started a new business.
Fighting the plastic problem with digital skills
One of the participants is Prusha Awat Mohamad. She wanted to do something about the plastic waste that litters Sulaymaniyah and founded the start-up ‘SuliCycle’ with support from the SiH and GIZ. Her idea: reverse vending machines. People can place their plastic bottles in the machines and receive a voucher, which creates an incentive to collect waste instead of discarding it. ‘I want to give young people in our country the possibility to play an active role in recycling’, says Prusha.
With skills she acquired at a boot camp, the 24-year-old developed a prototype for her recycling machine. People are excited about her idea. The Prime Minister of the autonomous region of Kurdistan ordered six of her machines, and well-known restaurants and shops now also take part in her recycling programme. A portion of the profits of ‘SuliCycle’ goes to a hospital for children with cancer.
GIZ has been implementing projects in Iraq on behalf of the German Federal Government since 2014. To date, around 500,000 people have found employment or started a business.