FROM THE EDITOR
Innovation is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Without innovation there would be no development and no advancement. And without creative minds, there would be no innovation. Ultimately, innovation does lead to luxury – the luxury of time, the luxury of growth and the luxury of products and services we need for communities to flourish and the planet to survive.
In this edition of YourLuxury, we celebrate pioneers of change who are undaunted by supposed limitations and who thrive on opening up new horizons. These are the people who see opportunity where others see problems and, as Richard Homes says in his interview with Ben Peterson, one of Nairobi’s digital disruptors, “there are no shortage of opportunities looking for solutions”.
“I am motivated by the problems in my society, people living in restless places and through catastrophes; and I always feel like I need to find a solution for them,” says Gibson Kawago, who is on a quest to get solar technologies to as many cities and settlements across Africa as possible. Another innovator on our radar, Chukwuemeka Eza, who was shortlisted for the 2023 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, says the goal isn’t just about income, but about who it might inspire. “We need to inculcate the mentality of never say never in young people because that’s the best way to save society and leave a long-lasting footprint in the sands of time.”
We hope you will be as inspired by the game-changing pioneers peppered throughout this issue as we are and encourage you to harness your own power to innovate. You don’t need to be an engineer or researcher – it can be as simple as opening your mind to change and seeking new ways of finding answers.
Ingrid Wood
Acting Editor
