A coalition of civil society and technology organizations has confirmed participation in the 2025 Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF), taking place during the World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meetings.
Semaform Foundation, Youths Enterprise Development & Innovation Society (YEIDIS), ConcordeApp, and The Collaborative will host an in-person session titled “Engineering Redemptive Impact: AI-Driven Solutions for Civil Society’s Grand Challenges.” The session aims to present actionable frameworks for deploying AI in support of global development goals.
Session Details:
- Date & Time: Tuesday, October 14, 4:15 PM – 5:45 PM EST
- Location: World Bank CSPF 2-220
From Theory to Practice
The CSPF serves as a key forum where Civil Society Organizations engage directly with World Bank Group officials, IMF representatives, and government delegations. This year’s session will shift from abstract debate to concrete demonstrations of scalable technology solutions already deployed in the field.
Chaste Inegbedion, Head of Failure & Social Experiments at Semaform Foundation, will moderate the discussion. “The greatest barrier to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals isn’t just funding, it’s friction in the policy-to-impact pipeline,” Inegbedion said. “We are bringing together a multi-sector panel to show how AI Agents and advanced data tools can eliminate that friction, converting high-level commitments into measurable community outcomes.”
Global Experts Weigh In
James Ladi Williams, producer of the event and an expert whose career spans USAID Power Africa and McKinsey, stressed the time-sensitive nature of the work. “My experience across global policy and generative AI confirms that technology is not a silver bullet, but it is the required accelerant for change,” Williams said. “This session brings together the kind of expertise needed to address the world’s most pressing challenges by building intelligent systems, not just complex programs.”
Chief Rafiu Akinpelu Olaore, representative for Western and Central Africa in the World Bank Group–IMF CSPF Working Group, framed the session’s regional significance. “This forum is the link between grassroots needs and institutional action,” Olaore said. “Our session ensures that the voice of civil society in Africa is heard, demonstrating how our regions are not just recipients of aid, but pioneers in using AI for employment, entrepreneurship, and inclusive growth.”
Panel of Practitioners
The session will feature leaders from finance, technology, and community development who are actively implementing AI-driven solutions:
- Dr. Letisha Malcolm, Founder of The Collaborative
- Lyzianah Emakoua, Founder of Centre for Community Impact & Sustainability
- Richard Ojuri, Vice President at M&T Bank
- Winnie Mangeni, Founder of PAWA AI
- Kome Igbogidi, Senior Product Manager at ServiceNow
Panelists will present case studies and actionable commitments, examining how AI can improve resource allocation, advance financial inclusion, and expand educational access in low-resource settings. The discussion will address the need for ethical frameworks and local governance structures to ensure AI functions as a tool for equitable progress rather than a driver of further exclusion.
The event represents a joint effort by the organizing partners to equip the global Civil Society community with practical tools to address large-scale challenges.
About the Organizers
- Semaform Foundation focuses on social experiments and uses technology to identify and address systemic failures in community development.
- Youths Enterprise Development & Innovation Society (YEIDIS) supports youth-led innovation and entrepreneurship in developing countries.
- ConcordeApp is an AI-powered Human Capital platform designed to measure and maximize relationship capital for B2B and social impact applications.
- The Collaborative for Leadership, Policy, Advocacy & Global Exchange works to build cross-sector leadership and policy development for sustainable change.
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