GLOBAL VOICES ESSAY CHALLENGE
ABOUT THE CONTEST
As digital technologies continue to reshape societies and economies, inclusive digital transformation is essential for sustainable development. To bring student perspectives into this global conversation, the GDC 2025 Global Voices Essay Challenge invited students at undergraduate, master’s, and PhD levels to respond to the question:
“What does inclusive digital transformation mean for sustainable development in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)?”
Participants shared original viewpoints, drawing on local examples and emerging trends, while offering ideas to address issues such as digital inequality, algorithmic bias, youth activism, and governance gaps.
Following a highly competitive round of entries, the winners have been selected. The first place winners from each category will be invited to GDC 2025 in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where they will take part in a communications workshop and network with global experts. The winners’ essays will also feature on GDN’s platforms and a special publication.
WINNERS
Undergraduate Category
1st Place: Dinah Masanda – Thanks for the Hackathon, But We Need a Job
2nd Place: Ugyen Choden – Digital Inclusivity in Bhutan: A Blockchain-Powered Path to a Smart and Happy Society
3rd Place: Ester Borges Frickes Ricardo – The View from a Favela: Why the Digital Revolution Needs a New Map
Master’s Category
1st Place: Kerinina Leaupepetele – Enhancing Digital Inclusion in Pacific Agriculture: A Taro Farmer’s Journey to Sustainable Development
2nd Place: Mapunda Noely – Digital Development Transformation Through Indigenous Knowledge and Culture
3rd Place: Idiongomfon Okon – Nigeria’s Digital Divide: Pioneering Inclusive Transformation for Sustainable Development in LMICs
PhD Category
1st Place: Shah Fahad Ali Khan – From the Mountains to the Mainstream: Digital Inclusion for Climate Resilience in Northern Pakistan
2nd Place: Arnold Joselyn Foko Kengne – Exploring Inclusive Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development: The Role of Agricultural Extension in Cameroon and Its Implications for Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)
3rd Place: Linh Thuy Mai – From Data Poverty to Data Empowerment: Making Digital Commons for Inclusive Change in LMICs
MEET THE JURY
JEAN CLARISSE CARLOS
Jean Clarisse T. Carlos is a Project Development Officer at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies and a Senior Lecturer at Miriam College. With over a decade of experience in research, policy, and regional engagement, she specialises in gender empowerment, digital economy, and inclusive development across ASEAN, ASEAN+3, and APEC. A published author and frequent speaker at high-level regional dialogues, she advocates for evidence-based policymaking and inclusive digital transformation. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Meiji University and is set to pursue a PhD in Politics at the University of Edinburgh.
ETIENNE CHARRIERE
Etienne Charrière received a doctorate in comparative literature from the University of Michigan. After holding several teaching and research positions in North America and the Middle East, he joined the French Development Agency (AFD) in 2021 and is currently Deputy Head of the institution’s publishing division. In his role, he notably oversees the “Africa Development Forum” series, co-published by the AFD and the World Bank, produces and hosts the podcast “Grandes Lignes,” leads the division’s partnerships and training activities and co-convenes the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes’s working group on development research communications. Since 2023, he has co-animated a number of policy communication training sessions in collaboration with the GDN’s GlobalDev team.
YULIYA MORENETS
Yuliya Morenets is a Barrister at Law, digital policy expert, and founder of the Youth Internet Governance Forum (Youth IGF), a global platform empowering youth in Internet governance. With over 15 years’ experience in telecom, cybersecurity, and electronic communications, she has worked with the Council of Europe and the ITU.
She has advised governments and regulators across Africa and the developing world on inclusive ICT access and cyber resilience, and authored key texts on cybersecurity and cybercrime. She continues to support public and private sector stakeholders with strategic guidance.
A three-term member of the UN Secretary-General’s IGF Advisory Group (MAG), Yuliya played a key role in shaping global Internet policy and founded the Youth IGF Movement in 2011. She was named a #SaferInternet4EU Ambassador by the EU Commissioner for her work on digital safety.
FRANCESCO OBINO
Francesco is Director of the Research Programmes Unit at the Global Development Network, as well as Senior Fellow, Research Capacity Building & Institutions and Networks. At GDN, he leads the global team of Fellows and Managers who design and implement GDN programmes. He also leads the Doing Research global initiative.
Francesco has seventeen years of experience in research, publishing and research capacity building in academia, international organisations, international and grassroots NGOs. He has studied international politics, political philosophy and international development in Italy, Portugal, the UK and India. He has worked in two dozen countries across Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Pacific. His main research interests are the interplay of institutional development and organisational functioning for research organisations, complex collaborations and the role of research funders in decolonising development knowledge.