Artha Global hosted a brown bag with Osama Manzar, founder and director of Digital Empowerment Foundation and Senior Ashoka Fellow, on Thursday, June 2, 2022, from 4:00 PM-5.30 PM IST. This was an in person, on-the-record event hosted at the Artha Global office in Khar West, Mumbai.
About the event:
The conversation touched upon various topics including digital literacy, technology and his experience of working with the government. Osama Manzar brought his rich experience of working on last mile delivery and realities from the ground.
About the speaker:
Osama Manzar is a global leader on the mission of eradicating information poverty from India and the global South using digital tools. He is a social entrepreneur, author, columnist, impact speaker, angel investor and mentor, and sits on several government and policy committees in India and on international organisations working in the areas of internet, access, and digital inclusion.
With over 20 years of experience, Osama has worked in the areas of journalism, new media and software enterprise and ended up creating the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), which works in India to digitally empower the masses with a footprint of 200 locations and interventions in more than 10 countries, mostly in South Asia.
Osama is a British Chevening Scholar and also an International Visitors Leadership Program Fellow of the US State Department. He has co-authored several books, including Internet Economy of India. He has instituted 10 awards for recognising digital innovations for development in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Alliance for Affordable Internet; a member of the licensing committee for community radio in India at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; and a member of the Working Group on IT for the Masses at the Ministry of IT in India. He is member of the board at APC, the World Summit Award, Ibtada, and the Society for Labour and Development.
Osama has travelled to more than 5,000 villages across 40 countries, advising on digital models for underserved communities. He also writes a regular weekly column in Mint which can be accessed here.