Valuable times at Barcamps in Ghana continue to empower youth

“Imagine you have gone to your favorite bar in Ghana with a few friends, amidst a lot of people you do not know. It is like you have camped at a bar. You would have conversations that matter to you. Now, remove the alcohol, the music, add a lot more groups of friends, add the strangers, networking, interaction and keep the good vibes. Then you have a Barcamp”. Ato Ulzen-Appiah, the director of the GhanaThink Foundation talks about how he and his fellow co-founders learnt about Barcamps, participated in one in the Googleplex in California (Barcamp Africa 2008), organized the first one in Ghana and have now taken it personal, towards its vision of building a critical mass of young patriotic, passionate, positive, proactive, progressive and productive people in Ghana. A Barcamp, according to GhanaThink, is a free forum which is all about learning, sharing, networking and mentoring.

The GhanaThink Foundation is a social enterprise that mobilizes and organizes talent for the primary benefit of Ghana. Its flagship program, Barcamp Ghana, is building a network of changemakers, doers and entrepreneurs. Since December 2008, GhanaThink has organized 120+ physical & 2 virtual Barcamps - free networking forums - in Ghana, impacting over 23300 participants. A BarCamp is a user-generated conference (or unconference). It is an open, participatory workshop-event, whose content is provided by participants. In Ghana, they bring people together for an event of learning, sharing, networking and mentoring. They happen on Saturdays and participation is about 100-400 based on location. 

Rukaya Sukah led the first Barcamp in Wa (Upper West region of Ghana) in 2015. She was one of the first female coordinators for a Barcamp organized by GhanaThink, alongside the likes of Kafui Anson-Yevu (Barcamp Accra). She is currently the Barcamp Ghana Logistics Lead, taking over from longtime lead Leonard Hagan. For 2025, she expects Barcampers to form lasting relationships with mentors and link up for more mentoring  even after the Barcamp in their regions. Patrick Keli Atitsogbui is the online and marketing lead for Barcamp Ghana. He was instrumental in executing Barcamp Wa 2025, where he saw participants leave equipped to lead meaningful change in their communities. According to him: “Barcamp Wa inspired bold thinking and practical action”. 

Keli was at 11 of the 12 Barcamps organized in Ghana in 2024, moderating the speed networking and speed mentoring sessions. Barcamps in Ghana start with speed networking, where the early birds (who are not doing Ghana Man Time) network with each other. It is coordinated in sessions of 2 minutes each, and this sets the tone for the interactions at the event. Speed mentoring involves selected resource personnel sharing insight and information to possible mentees. These mentors are carefully selected and invited, and are based in the location of the Barcamp. This is to celebrate young people who are thriving in their chosen professions or businesses, and also prove to the local youth that they can also be successful in their towns or cities. It is a great way for these mentors to interact with younger people, hire smart and driven youth and for professional relationships to be built.

On the theme for 2025, Keli mentioned: “We are highlighting Impact, Innovation, and Quality this year because they reflect the kind of intentional growth we want to see among young Ghanaians today. It’s not just about doing more, but doing it uniquely, doing it better, and doing it with purpose. Impact means making a real difference, innovation challenges us to think outside the box, and quality ensures that our work holds long-term value.”

The work of GhanaThink through Barcamps created networks of young people in Ghana who have been supporting each other in their personal development journeys. Communities have been born out of these in various towns and cities in Ghana. These communities started crystallizing with the formation of the Konnect Meetups in Kumasi in 2014. The communities are called Konnect groups, being built and administered through Whatsapp, together with Google groups. In 2019, a version of hot seat was organized in Cape Coast Konnect which was affectionately named Konnect Kouch. This #KonnectKouch is a personality interview - to learn more about and celebrate achievement. Since covid, they have been organized physically at Barcamps, where 2 mentors (male and female) are interviewed by a moderator, followed by questions from Barcampers (participants).

Ruky sees the 2025 theme aligning with GhanaThink Foundation’s goal of mobilizing talent for the primary benefit of Ghana. She stated: “The team chose this theme  because, to be able to solve the problems we face in this part of our world, we need to be innovative, most of the old ways are failing us. If we focus on quality innovations, our activities or actions will be sustainable thereby leading to long lasting impact. If we pay more attention to the kind of impact we want, our actions would help implement higher quality innovations in order to achieve our desired impact.”

GhanaThink ensures that it works with various partners to drive youth empowerment, while aligning with the theme words. At Barcamps, there are presentations from organizations, etc about their products, programs, projects, etc. These also give the participants opportunities to grow. Some of these partners share knowledge on topics and themes or about products and programs valuable to participants. This is deepened through breakout sessions to discuss topical issues, gain feedback on a product or program, provide learning on a skill or quality, etc. The diversity and knowledge of participants foster great discussions, great action points and valuable networking.
Benjamin Adadevoh participated in his first Barcamp more than a decade ago. He joined the Barcamp Tema team and became the coordinator, leading the organization of 5+ editions. He is currently the Barcamp Ghana Partnership Lead, taking over from Sampson Deklu who had also entered the role after leading Barcamp Kumasi for multiple years. On the theme words, he stated: “We are focusing on Impact, Innovation, and Quality because they represent the kind of mindset and leadership Ghana needs right now. Impact ensures that our efforts lead to real, positive change in people’s lives. Innovation pushes us to think differently and find creative, local solutions to our toughest challenges. Quality reminds us that excellence must be at the heart of everything we do—because how we do things matters just as much as what we do”. Irene Ali Dery participated in Barcamps in Tamale and Kumasi before she joined the GhanaThink Foundation, focusing on mentors and resource personnel for Barcamp Kumasi. She is the Barcamp Ghana Resources Lead. For 2025, she stated: “We want participants to think about how they can make a positive impact in their lives and communities by coming up with innovative ideas and creating solutions that will improve their quality of life and those around them”. 

Barcamp Wa 2025 kicked off the Barcamp year on May 10. Ben’s expectations were met. He had hoped it would be a launchpad for the next generation of changemakers—young Ghanaians who are not only passionate but prepared to lead with purpose. Barcamp Wa 2025 was the biggest and best Barcamp in the Upper West region, with 400+ participants. By numbers, this follows Barcamp Accra 2013 and Barcamp Tamale 2023. Irene’s expectations for Barcamps in 2025 is to see participants discuss and develop innovative ideas and impactful solutions that will create entrepreneurial opportunities and greater prospects for young people in Ghana.

In order to participate in these Barcamps, engage GhanaThink on social media. Registrations (free) happen through eGoTickets, a Ghanaian-built platform built by some Barcampers. These events engender horizontal inspiration (where colleagues and mates mentor and support each other), towards vertical excellence (where youth become empowered and develop towards becoming the best versions of themselves). Engage Barcamp Ghana via Twitter (X), Instagram and Facebook. “Less talk, more action”. “Be part of the movement”. “More vim!”

Read more via the TheAfricanDream as well as Baobab Entrepreneur.