An initiative of Aspire to Innovate (a2i) called ‘ekShop’ has recently been awarded the United Nations ‘SDG Digital GameChangers Award’. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) jointly recognized ekShop as the winner of the ‘Game Changer for Prosperity’ category.
ekShop was honored for its efforts in providing e-commerce services to the marginalized areas of Bangladesh. The e-commerce model developed by ekShop aims to empower small and medium-sized businesses, refugees, and those facing digital disparities, particularly in the least-developed countries.
The award ceremony took place on September 16 at the UN Headquarters in New York during the UN’s dedicated SDG Action Weekend. The a2i team, including Anir Chowdhury, Rezwanul Haque Jami, and Md Sahariar Hasan, received the award on behalf of ekShop.
The SDG Digital GameChangers Award recognizes individuals and organizations that are leveraging digital solutions to accelerate progress on global goals. Presented in five categories – People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Pioneer – the award is a collaboration between the ITU, UNDP, and other partners and supporters.
ekShop is a locally-based rural-assisted e-commerce platform designed to facilitate the easy and speedy delivery of daily necessary products to people’s doorsteps. Currently, over 12 thousand rural artisans use this platform to sell their products, and it has successfully delivered over 8 million products to various parts of the country through cash-on-delivery.
This platform is available to any e-commerce organization or entrepreneur seeking to deliver their products to customers. The Post and Telecommunication Division, along with various product delivery organizations in the country, have been integrated into the ekShop platform. Additionally, various government entrepreneurial institutions have been brought under the umbrella of ekShop to further support its endeavors.