On January 10th, 2016, REFUNITE’s co-founder and co-CEO Christopher Mikkelsen attended and gave a keynote speech at Ericsson’s Change Makers Forum in Dubai. With 690 million mobile subscribers in just the Middle East and North-East Africa, this forum brought together multiple pioneers and change-makers from the mobile and technology industry to discuss the future of this industry. The forum was comprised of a number of keynote speakers as well as a couple of panels, involving CEOs, Chief Experience Officers (CXOs), leading entrepreneurs and thought leaders from companies such as Wikipedia, Facebook and Etisalat.

The forum looked at how the ICT industry is evolving, and how digital technology is penetrating all sectors and industries. The effects of digital technology are spreading rapidly, creating fundamental impacts on every aspect of our lives. This brings opportunities for a new type of efficiency for businesses and innovation. When the possibilities for reaching places previously unreachable via mobile technology become a reality with the constant expansion of mobile networks, it makes it easier for services like REFUNITE to help even more populations. Mr. Mikkelsen explained how REFUNITE’s platform, developed with support from our lead technology partner Ericsson, uses technology to help reconnect families who have lost contact with each other. This is more urgent now than ever. As Mr. Mikkelsen stated, “with over 60 million displaced persons, our world is going in the wrong direction”.
The forum also focused on what is called the Networked Society, a society in which “mobility empowers every person and every industry to reach their full potential”. Beyond just connected devices, people are starting to use this increasing ability to connect to make theirs and others’ lives better. Speakers discussed how mobility is helping us solve some of the biggest development challenges in areas such as poverty, education, health, and humanitarian issues like refugees and disaster response.