The British Council’s Innovation for African Universities (IAU) will be showcasing the result of its unique pilot in sub-Sahara Africa aimed at closing the gap between job seekers and job creators for African youth, in Ghana at the Accra International Conference Centre on the 24th March 2023.
At this IAU Showcase Event, the British Council will bring industry, investors, creators and universities together to present the initial outcome of its Grant Cycle 1 delivered across 4 pilot countries in sub-Sahara Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa).
A wide range of contributors will deliberate on mechanisms and recommendations for the next stage of the programme, which is to scale effectively across more countries to reach more graduating students and provide more opportunities for them to create generational businesses.
This showcase event will celebrate the resilience of the African Youth as they continually pivot to remain relevant in an ever-changing macro-economic landscape.
Innovation for African Universities (IAU) was created by the British Council in 2021 on the back of the covid 19 crisis, which represented a critical time for curriculum review and teaching innovation amongst tertiary institutions in the region.
Many universities agreed that there was a need to think outside-the-box to evolve teaching practises that equip students to become self-starters.
The goal of the IAU programme is to strengthen the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem and improve student employability outcomes in Sub-Saharan African universities through the promotion and capacitation of mutually beneficial partnerships.
By pairing universities in Africa and the UK, IAU sought to catalyse the development of entrepreneurship curriculums customised to each country’s unique situation and economic needs in a bid to leapfrog the creation of generational businesses across the continent in response to its rapidly growing youth population, where many are confronted by high levels of unemployment and underemployment.
Beyond providing a platform for learning, research and knowledge creation, universities have a role to play as catalysts for change and drivers of economic growth in their various communities.
Through their academic programmes and international partnerships, universities can provide graduates with knowledge and skills to contribute to the growth of new and existing companies.
In addition, universities can foster and support the creation of new ideas, innovation, and commercialisation.
The conference will focus on several broad issues, challenges and opportunities facing the Higher Education sector in the area of employment and entrepreneurship and seeks to bring a range of critical ecosystem players into the same room to develop new ideas for new solutions to address youth unemployment challenges.
At the Ghana Showcase, British Council’s IAU will present the outcome of its Grant Cycle 1 deployed in 4 countries:
Ghana: where 4 market ready projects have evolved by partnerships comprising 10 universities and 3 ecosystem players
Kenya: where 5 market ready projects have evolved by partnerships comprising 10 universities and 7 ecosystem players
South Africa: where 9 market ready projects have evolved by partnerships comprising 22 universities and 13 ecosystem players
Nigeria: where 6 market ready projects have evolved by partnerships comprising 15 universities and 6 ecosystem players
Distinguished guests expected at the showcase include:
• Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Honourable Minister of Education, Ghana
• Mr. Joe Mensah, Senior Vice President and Head of Ghana Unit, Kosmos Energy Ghana. Board Chairman, Energy Innovation Centre
• Abu Sakara, Executive Chairman, Sakfos Holdings Accra, Ghana
• Mr Alex Mould, Former CEO Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)
• Adetomi Soyinka, Regional Director Higher Education Programmes, British Council Sub-Sahara Africa
• Olatomiwa Williams, Microsoft Country Director, Ghana and Nigeria
• Adoma Peprah, Country Manager, VISA Ghana
• Roberta Annan, Globally acclaimed business woman & investment advisor
• Akua Owusu Nartey, Regional Managing Director for Ghana, Oglivy Africa
• Ben Barth, Founder & Managing Partner Axcero Advisors
• Dr. Victor Konde, Coordinator Alliance of Entrepreneurial Universities in Africa (AEU) initiative United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
• Dr. Norah Clarke, Director Entrepreneurial Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Programme, Universities South Africa
• Ms. Rose Dodd, Director Education Collaborative Ashesi University, Ghana
• Neil Marshall, Development Director, ChangeSchool
• Mégan Franklin, Co-founder and Consultant, M&ESURE Research and Evaluation
Job Creators that will feature in the Marketplace Hub include:
Emma Bird: A globally acclaimed jewellery design and manufacturing enterprise run by a young Ghanaian graduate, Naa Amanua Williams.
Auxpress: An international shipping enterprise run by a young Ghanaian graduate Aury Quartey-Papafio.
Flickerwick Ltd: A bespoke luxury candle maker and suppliers to international brands like Fenwicks & Liberty in the UK. It is run by a young graduate, Frances Gardener.
SuneV Couture: Founded and run by young graduate, Venus Tawiah. SuneV creates statement pieces using materials and techniques that preserve Ghanaian culture.
The company has a strong sense of community, creating jobs especially for women promoting knowledge sharing of traditional straw weaving and lost wax brass casting techniques.
By presenting the outcome of Grant Cycle 1, British Council aims to attract the attention of like-minded institutions to drive the formation of partnerships that will lead to the deepening and expansion of the IAU programme across other sub-Saharan countries.
The British Council also seeks to provide international visibility for the projects that have evolved in this first cycle in an effort to drive funding opportunities for the entrepreneurs that will help them to scale.
The British Council will be accepting interviews with the media and open to engaging with multinational or multilateral organisations, grant owners and impact investors looking to grow their portfolio of socially positive projects across Africa.-
Register today Visit bit.ly/3ZNOo5n
