In October, we recognised 20 South African innovators at the SAB Foundation's Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards.
From advanced wound-care solutions and affordable housing to accessible learning and mobility solutions for persons with disabilities, the innovations reflected the breadth of challenges facing our country.
What stood out was not simply the creativity behind these solutions, but the people they are intended to serve.
It raises an important question about how we think about social innovation.
Are we placing enough emphasis on whether an innovation can make a meaningful difference in people's everyday lives?
We often associate innovation with something new. A new technology, product or approach to an existing problem.
But novelty alone does not create social value.
A healthcare innovation must reach patients who can benefit from it. An educational technology must be accessible to learners who may face barriers relating to cost or connectivity. And an innovation intended to improve the lives of persons with disabilities must respond to their actual needs and experiences.
This is particularly relevant as South Africa observes Disability Rights Awareness Month from 3 November to 3 December.
At the launch of the campaign, Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga emphasised the importance of involving persons with disabilities in developing technologies, rather than expecting them to adapt to solutions designed without their participation.
There is a difference between developing a solution for someone and developing a solution with an understanding of their lived experience.
For social innovators, this means engaging the people they hope to serve, understanding the circumstances in which a solution will be used and being willing to refine an idea based on practical experience.
It also means recognising that affordability, accessibility and long-term sustainability are not secondary considerations. They are often what determines whether a promising innovation makes a lasting difference.
We see this in our work with social innovators at the SAB Foundation. A promising innovation may begin with a clear understanding of a social problem, but translating it into a viable and sustainable solution requires much more. It requires testing, technical development, an understanding of the people it is intended to serve, and the business capabilities needed to take it to market.
This is why our focus is increasingly on helping innovators strengthen their readiness for commercialisation, access appropriate funding and partnerships, and ultimately reach the people and markets where their solutions can make a meaningful difference.
The question of adoption is also receiving greater attention nationally. In October, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Zuko Godlimpi highlighted the role government procurement can play in supporting the adoption of locally developed digital products, devices and systems that meet applicable standards and demonstrate value for money.
This matters because developing an innovation is only one part of the process. Its wider contribution depends on what happens when it moves into practical use.
For some innovations, that means adoption by schools, healthcare facilities or other institutions. For others, it means reaching customers, building reliable distribution channels or ensuring that a product remains affordable.
This also challenges us to think differently about how we measure success. The number of innovations funded or recognised is important, but it is only part of the story. The more meaningful measure is whether these innovations are being adopted, improving access to essential services, creating economic opportunities and making a tangible difference in people's lives.
These outcomes take time and require collaboration between innovators, communities, government, businesses and development organisations.
Recognising promising innovations is therefore an important milestone, rather than the final outcome.
South Africa has entrepreneurs developing thoughtful and creative responses to some of our most pressing challenges. Our shared responsibility is to help those solutions move beyond recognition and into meaningful use.
Perhaps the most important question we can ask of a social innovation is not simply what makes it different, but whose life it can improve, and whether it can reach them.