The 2nd Barcamp Kasoa is finally here! #bckasoa

I sit in my father's home office in Kumasi as I type this blog post. +Barcamp Kasoa is tomorrow morning. I won't be there. I'll be in Kumasi like I was today for my sister +Stacey Mensah's engagement. She gets married tomorrow and aside collecting 'akonta sekan' amongst other things, I have to emcee the reception. Just like I did for Tracey Mensah's wedding which fell on the same day as Barcamp Ashesi. I trust the +Barcamp Kasoa organizing team, ably supported by the +Barcamp Ghana team, to hold a successful Barcamp tomorrow. This will be our 41st Barcamp, after +Barcamp Sunyani last weekend, which was the 40th. Go, +GhanaThink Foundation, go!

Barcamp Kasoa was born out of the initiative of +Elorm Billy-Awittor & +Mawuli Tsikata who wanted to bring the Barcamp goodness to Kasoa. The first event faced a number of challenges, including the serious thought of considering having it at Methodist University College with the help of the +GDG Methodist University College Ghana, especially +Raindolf Owusu & +Jeffery Abas. Elorm & Mawuli were supported by +krystabel vorsah, +Emelia Agblevor and +Edmund Laryea, and the first Barcamp Kasoa happened in April 2013. +jennepha omueti who attended that event and +Danshiki Lapido joined the team this year. I'm excited to see how Elorm, Krystabel, Emelia, Edmund, Jennifer, Danshiki work with the +Barcamp Ghana team members - +kofi yeboah +Leonard Hagan and +Senam Aseye Bridget.

Kasoa is growing steadily and now there is also the presence of the West Hills Mall. I know it's in Weija, but we can't discount how it will affect Kasoa. The Kasoa interchange is also in the works. There's so much to discuss in contributing a healthy market for business in Kasoa. Join us to discuss this at the event or via the hashtag #bckasoa. Read the press release below to learn more.

BarCamp Kasoa 2014 is a free networking event to bring people together for a day of discussion, demos and dialogue about Kasoa, Ghana and beyond. This event would take place on November 29, 2014 at Hase International School, Kasoa. The theme is 'Contributing to a healthy market for business'. This 2nd Barcamp Kasoa event will be the 41st Barcamp in Ghana. This is part of the Barcamp Ghana program run by the GhanaThink Foundation, building a network of changemakers, doers and entrepreneurs.

At Barcamp Kasoa, we will discuss ways to make Kasoa a more attractive place to do business with a focus on health and sanitary conditions. We would discuss the present state of Kasoa, its emerging growth and how it will be affected by the many projects happening around it. We would also discuss how Kasoa and its surrounding areas can be positively affected by youth and how the youth can tap into the many opportunities around them. “Many young people have innovative ideas that needs funding and mentorship support, that is our focus for Barcamp Kasoa”, says Kofi Yeboah - Barcamp Ghana lead, “we want to bring together mentors and agencies that fun ideas to be under one umbrella”.

Barcamp Kasoa will feature a team from Ushahidi in Kenya, which will discuss Making All Voices Count, an international initiative that contributes towards effective governance and accountability by enabling citizen engagement and open, responsive government in 12 countries in Africa and Asia. The consortium is seeking additional innovative ideas for funding as well as an opportunity to learn from current actors across various fields in Ghana. Reach for Change is organizing a Digital Changemakers competition sponsored by Tigo. Come learn more about these opportunities at Barcamp Kasoa!  

Thought and business leaders in various areas will share insight and inspiration. As usual, we will have multiple user-generated breakout sessions about topics relevant to Kasoa and beyond. Our speed mentoring session will help participants gain insights and answers to questions. Our confirmed resource personnel include +Monica Nthiga ( +Ushahidi), +Francis Addai (Rancard), Awura Abena Agyeman ( +WEAR Ghana GHANA ), +Angorkor Nai-Kwade (WEAR Ghana), +George Anti (Concerned Ghanaians for Responsible Governance), Samuel Agyemang-Prempeh (WEAR Purple), +Derek Bossman ( +AdsBrook), +Gerard Yitamkey ( +Ahonya.com), +Sam Dogbatse (Reach for Change), +Kwaku David ( +Kwaku DavidPhotography) etc.

Register at Barcamp Kasoa Eventbrite site. You can also register by sending “Barcamp Kasoa, Your Name, Your Email Address” to 1945 on all mobile networks.(example - Barcamp Kasoa Esi Eshun esi@eshun.co). Contact us via barcamp at www.ghanathink.org for sponsorship or partnership opportunities. Barcamp Kasoa 2014 is supported by Making All Voices Count, mPedigree GoldKeys, Saazaa Shoes, +Reach for Change, Nandimobile, +Inform Ghana, +BloggingGhana. Our media partners are +Spy Ghana, XFM, Radio Universe, +CitiFM Fanpage.

Stay tuned via our social media. Hashtag is #bckasoa. Twitter | Facebook | Google+