2017 Winner
Bright Simons
for his ability to integrate technology, entrepreneurship and practical politics in new, effective, and scalable approaches to development, that are relevant not only to Ghana, but to other emerging countries
Profile
Bright Simons is a Ghanaian social innovator, entrepreneur, writer, social and political commentator. He is also president of mPedigree, where he pioneered a system that allows consumers to instantly check whether products they buy are counterfeits or not by sending a free text message. Simons is consulted on innovation strategy by international organizations like the World Bank, UNECA, USAID, In 2016, Fortune named Bright in the 50 World’s Greatest Leaders list among other luminaries like Apple and Amazon CEOs, Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos respectively and also Pope Francis.
Experts believe the counterfeit trade is worth about $700 billion a year. But it is the trade in fake medicines, in particular, that has raised the greatest alarm. The stakes are high considering that nearly 2,000 people are estimated to die from falsified and sub-standard medicines yearly. By powering partnerships, as well as delivering cutting-edge supply chain transformation technologies, mPedigree renders service to the world’s leading pharmaceutical, agro-input manufacturing, automotive and many other industries. Simon’s work through mPedigree helps protect consumers, enrich lives and transform communities through a cleaner, better, supply chain. Learn more