BarCamp Ho and the Quest for Scientific and Entrepreneurial Thinking in Ghana #bcho

Mentoring session ongoing at BarCamp Ho 2014

Last Saturday, 25th October, I joined other change makers at the University of Health and Allied Sciences for the fourth BarCamp Ho. This was my first barcamp in over a year, so I was really excited to have been part of the event. Here are Storify highlights of what transpired. 

After an initial hesitation, I accepted to 'mentor' some attendees (many of them university or senior high school students) on "education and research", drawing on experiences in science education and postgraduate studies. Upon reflection, since many of the attendees asked the same questions, perhaps, a breakout session on the topic would have been more appropriate. Also, it would have been nice to pick everyone's brain on what can be done to improve the quality of research in Ghana, and to increase its role in policy making. This is very important since science provides tools to fix our day-to-day challenges. A more robust research regime in West Africa would see regional challenges such as ebola, small arms, and energy shortage, handled with greater efficiency than is currently done.

The above submission ties in well with the overall theme of this year's BarCamp Ho: "re-educating ourselves for the new entrepreneurial world", although not immediately apparent. Most of the day's discussions centred on creating business ventures and new instructional/coaching models to raise entrepreneurial champions. While these propositions are rightly in place, it is equally important to extend our conception of entrepreneurial thought to disrupting education and advancing scientific research. Innovation on these frontiers do not only require increased scientific knowledge but also technical aptitude to analyse society's problems and to design and implement solutions to tackle them. Clearly, there is an urgent need to liaise with government, businesses, and the larger society to adopt research as a critical tool for development. The achievement of this feat requires entrepreneurial acumen on a scale similar to what pertains in the business context. Our long-term challenge, therefore, is to create educational opportunities that would enhance the inculcation of critical skills among learners at various educational levels. In the short-term, government must invest more in science education and research. The current situation where less than 0.5% of GDP is allocated to science and technology in Ghana is not only shocking but shameful.

" We are not supposed to be behind, we are to be beside the men". Catherine sharing on women leadership at #bcho pic.twitter.com/2XdY9U5uq9
— #bcksi Nov 1 (@Barcampghana) October 25, 2014

Re-educating ourselves for the new entrepreneurial world requires raising leaders in politics, business and communication, to create revenue-generating projects and to position our country in a favourable light in the global milieu. Just as important is the task to increase the quality of science education and the level of scientific thinking in the general population. We need to build the right environment for scientific research that would lead to inventions and innovations. Also, we need to encourage a maker culture through collaborations between our universities, research institutes and informal makers. I am sure someone said this at the barcamp: "what are we going to market when we do not produce much?"

Discussing Entrepreneurial Education and Remembering Eli Aidam at BarCamp Ho 2014

I've not written any posts on this blog or elsewhere online in a while because I was busy with the dissertation phase of my masters degree. I learnt a lot over the past year, especially from working on my final project. I am thankful for successfully completing the course.    

BarCamp Ho 2014 is upon us; this is Volta region's fourth barcamp since the first event in 2011. Find details about this year's event in the flyer below. 

We're dedicating this year's barcamp to the memory of Eli Aidam, our colleague from GhanaThink who tragically passed on earlier this year. 

Eli Aidam: Youth leader- GhanaThink, CCY, etc [Credit: Elvis Bomassah]

Eli, Eric Nii Tackie Tawiah, Bless Nkegbe and myself held the initial meeting at the Ghana Tourist Board Office [Eric's workplace] in October 2011, to plan the first BarCamp Ho. Back then, I quietly admired Eli's pragmatism, resourcefulness, and extensive networking skills. Eli then moved on to become the 'engine' of the Ho barcamps in later years. He was  a true connector, and this came to bear in his work with Centre for Creative Youth, a youth-led initiative focused on nurturing the creative talent of the youth for social change. When Ghana Decides was looking for partners for youth engagement, and later social media training, towards the 2012 elections, Eli was instrumental in bringing CCY on board. We remember Eli for his dreams, hard work, and selflessness, But, perhaps more importantly, we would remember him for being our friend.

So join us at the University of Health and Allied Sciences this Saturday 25th October to map out creative ways of personal development to aid youth to function in an increasingly entrepreneurial world, while we remember a dear colleague who exemplified that philosophy. 

BarCamp Ho 2013: Transforming Our Communities

BarCamp Ho 2013 will be held this Saturday 26th October at Ho Polytechnic SRC auditorium. The aim of the event is to network young technologists, professionals, students and entrepreneurs (Change makers), and engage them through learning and sharing. You're encouraged to register and participate in this barcamp, the third organised by GhanaThink Foundation in the Volta region since 2011. Register at http://barcampho13.eventbrite.com.

BarCamp Ho Breakout Session: Reversing the Declining Trend of BECE Performance

BarCamp Ho 2012 featured five user-generated breakout sessions, namely, reversing the trend of poor Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) performance, environmental sanitation, risk management in entrepreneurship, using technology to solve problems and drama as an educational tool. In the "BECE session" led by Joel Degue, I was privileged to confer with Anne Amuzu, Maximus Ametorgoh, Edward Tagoe, Elvis Bomasah, Kwabena Akuamoah-Boateng, among others, on why BECE performance is at such a low ebb and what we can do about it.

Discussing the declining rate of BECE performance at #bcho

Joel previously digested the declining academic performance at the basic level in the Volta region on modernghana.com. In his piece, he noted that "According to some records, the last decade alone saw over 3,669,138 BECE candidates sitting for that exam. Out of that figure 1,562,270 of them failed to make the required grades for progression to any of the secondary, technical and vocational schools."  With such an damning statistic staring us at the face we proceeded to dig at the issue.

So, what are the causes of poor academic performance at the BECE level? 

Poor school infrastucure contributes to poor BECE performance. Source: one.org

• Lack of dedicated teachers- most teachers are not qualified or do not have passion for the job
• There is a big question mark over content. There is a disconnect between what's in the syllabus and the realities of the 21st century.
• Presentation styles are not engaging. There is too much of instruction rather than discussion. Other formats of presenting information eg. audiovisual are missing. There is also lack of practicality in school work.
• Parental apathy- some parents do little to ensure that their children stay in school and monitor their performance .
• Lack of quality school infrastructure
• Lack of motivation to study as other endeavours seem to be more rewarding and societal values keep changing.

How can the situation be improved?

• Review school content to meet the realities of immediate environment of students
• Incorporate games into teaching and learning
• Use pictures and videos and not just text to communicate to learners.
• Promote use of local languages especially in lower primary
• Pressurise leaders to overhaul the system

Learning mathematics with a mobile device. Source: textually.org

We resolved to pressure the Ghana Education Service (GES), through the mass media, to take a look at restructuring basic school education in light of the poor outcomes and impracticability of the knowledge obtained. That said, I personally think the time is right to take a look at alternative modes of learning, such as use of mobile devices (m-learning) to bring the spark back into basic education and improve BECE performance.

Youth Taking Charge of Development at BarCamp Ho 2012

We welcome the GhanaThink Foundation back to the Volta Region for BarCamp Ho 2012. Organised in collaboration with the Centre for Creative Youth, BarCamp Ho seeks to challenge the youth to take charge of development, to be innovative and to play active roles in national life.

BarCamp Ho will be held tomorrow, 21st September (Founder's Day) at Ho Polytechnic under the theme "Youth Taking Charge of Development". From 8: 00 am to 5 pm, the event will feature many young achievers who have carved niches for themselves in their own fields. They will in turn inspire their colleagues to make a difference in their various fields of endeavour. There will be keynote speeches, mentoring sessions, start-up bazaar, demos, breakout sessions, networking, among others. We will take advantage of Founder's Day to reflect on the life of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana.

I can only be grateful to the following personalities for quickly responding to our call to inspire Ghanaian youth in the Volta Region: Francis Asong (VOICE Ghana), Makafui Nyamadi (GCOM Pre-University), Tsonam Akpeloo (Techcom Visions), Florence Toffa (Mobile Web Ghana), Anne Amuzu (Nandimobile), Penelope Sheila Bartels-Sam (inCharge Global), Nehemiah Attigah (Hatua Solutions), Regina Agyare (Soronko Solutions), Alloysius Attah (Farmerline), Maximus Ametorgoh (PopOut) and Eyram Tawia (Leti Games).

BarCamp Ho 2012 follows the 2011 event, themed "Harnessing Local Competencies and Opportunities for Global Impact", held at the Centre for National Culture (CNC), Ho last December. Discussions on that day was focused on developing the strengths of the Volta Region, notably tourism as a means of developing the region.

Join us at Ho Polytechnic by picking your free ticket at the BarCamp Ho Eventbrite registration page. You can also tell your friends to text "BarCamp Ho [Name] [Email Address] to 1945 on any network to register.

Come and let's celebrate inspiring Ghanaian projects like Nandimobile, Farmerline, Leti Games, Sandlanders, inCharge, VOICE Ghana, Ghana Decides, among others. Join us to move Ghana and the Volta Region forward. Follow @BarCampHo on Twitter and "like" BarCamp Ho Facebook page. We'll be posting with #bcho on Twitter and G+.

BarCamp Ho 2012 is sponsored by the Ho Polytechnic, GhanaThink Foundation, Google Ghana, CCY Ghana, VOICE Ghana, Nandimobile, Fienipa Group, etc. Our media partners are US FM, Spy Ghana, Modern Ghana, TNG, myjoyonline and the Ghana News Agency.

Gedeme! Miawoe zɔ!

BarCamp Ho: Harnessing Local Competencies and Opportunities for Global Impact

BarCamp Ho 2011 is a free networking event to bring people together for a day of discussion, demonstrations and dialogue about Ho, the Volta Region and beyond. BarCamp Ho 2011 will take place on December 3, 2011 at Centre for National Culture in Ho, Ghana. The theme is “Harnessing local competencies and opportunities for global impact”. The first Barcamp Ho event will create a supportive community for entrepreneurs, change makers, innovators and other leaders in Ho and the Volta Region. Ho is well primed to support development in Ghana and Togo as well.
 

The BarCamp Ghana team has successfully organized eight BarCamps in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Cape Coast and Tamale, resulting in a network of Ghanaian doers, entrepreneurs and change makers. Barcamp Ho 2011 is organized by the GhanaThink Foundation in conjunction with a local team of Volta Region-based change makers. This BarCamp will focus on networking like-minded entrepreneurial and change making Ho residents to partner in adding value to their businesses and community. It will also promote successful young entrepreneurs from the region, further inspiring similar activity in attendees and birthing new businesses, initiatives and projects.

Like all Barcamps, there will be user-generated sessions and discussions where attendees get to set the agenda and topics for the day. BarCamp Ho 2011 will have a panel discussion on tourism featuring Donald Diaba (iRokko Concepts), Eli Aidam (Centre for Creative Youth and Centre for National Culture) and Eric Tackie Tawiah (Ghana Tourist Board). There shall also be sessions about starting up businesses, social media, blogging and topics relevant to the Volta region and beyond.. The social media sessions will be led by Mac-Jordan Degadjor. Leti Games CEO Eyram Tawia will share his story of building one of Africa's premier gaming companies. Alex Titiloye Ojo, a recent award winner at the World Youth Summit Awards, will also be there to share his insights. 

The unmistakable Wli water fall is one of the many tourist attractions in the Volta Region. How do we project it better?

Register/RSVP today at the BarCamp Ho eventbrite website. You may also contact the BarCamp Ho team through this website for sponsorship opportunities. If you are interested in organizing a breakout session, let us know, especially if you have special needs. You may also register by sending "Barcamp Ho [name] [email address] to 1945 on all networks.

BarCamp Ho 2011 is sponsored by the GhanaThink Foundation, Google, Centre for National Culture, Volta Regional Trade & Investment Fair, Fienipa Group, Nandimobile, iROKKO Concepts, Leti Games, GhanaBlogging,Cenre for Creative Youth, etc. Our media partners are ModernGhana.com.

Register at http://barcampHo11.eventbrite.com/
See you there!

Contact: http://barcampghana.org/contact or barcamp at ghanathink.org

Taking The BarCamp Fever to the Regions of Ghana

Section from BarCamp Accra 2010

BarCamps the world over are space for idea-sharing, networking and fun. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you may be abreast with what barcamps in Ghana are all about.

For starters, a barcamp is simply a conference whose content is mostly user-generated (so we call it an un-conference). That is attendees are allowed to dictate what should be discussed and in what way it should be discussed. This allows for highly relevant, engaging and focused discussions relevant to local communities. The result is that the passion, fervour and "vim" flowing from such discussions push people to come out with many projects, in different sectors, ranging from regular businesses, through social enterprises to building intellectual communities.

And so it is with BarCamp Ghana. I've learnt lots of valuable lessons participating in and volunteering for BarCamps in Ghana. Since 2008, BarCamp Ghana has been nurturing the nation's young minds, preparing them for the future with the knowledge of skills they should be learning, networks they should be building and planting the seed of firm believe that they can thrive and succeed in Ghana despite the prevailing odds. That's the spirit of BarCamp Ghana. Some prefer to sum it up with one word. VIM! That vim is evident in all these BarCamp gatherings, as the creme de la creme of young changemakers are always represented.

One focus of GhanaThink, the organisation behind barcamps in Ghana, for the last two years, has been to spread the barcamp love nationwide. Last year barcamps were held in Accra, Kumasi and Sekondi-Takoradi. This year even more towns are joining the BarCamp train. Kumasi and Cape Coast have already hosted superb events. Tamale and Ho will be debuting their respective regional barcamps ahead of the grand party, BarCamp Ghana 2011, in Accra. Here are some quick details:

Championing local voices for development through technology and ICT

Focus: Northern region, development, NGO, community, technology
Venue: Tamale Polytechnic
Date: 26th November, 2011
Registration: Evenbrite page. OR Text "Barcamp Tamale [your_name] [your_email_address] to 1945
Connect: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

Harnessing local competencies and opportunities for global impact

Focus: Volta region, entrepreneurship, tourism, social media, local content
Venue: Centre for National Culture, Ho
Date: 3rd December, 2011
Registration: Eventbrite page OR Text "Barcamp Ho [your_name] [your_email_address] to 1945
Connect: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

Try to make it to these events if you get a chance and like the BarCamp Ghana page on Facebook!