Barcamps in Ghana driving individual impact through GhanaThink’s work and network
Barcamps in Ghana are free networking forums. The resource personnels for these have been REAL. REAL stands for Resourceful, Experienced and Accomplished with a proven record of great Leadership skills and impact. Some of the recent mentors at Barcamps - post covid-19 - have included Stephen Moore, Victoria Tuffour Obeng, Maria Yuorpor, Nathan Quao, Louis Sakyiamah, Ruth Nkuah, Paa Kofi Tinagyei, Naomi Kokuro, etc.
The Barcamps have provided mentorship to thousands of young Ghanaians. Once these youth become Barcampers, they also go on to mentor others around them – in organizations they lead, work at and interact with. There is also a lot of peer mentoring. This is the kind of horizontal inspiration that drives vertical excellence for thousands of youth in Ghana and beyond.
Many Barcampers have leveraged the 8 minute mentorship sessions to grow in their careers, and take on responsibility within GhanaThink itself.
Charles Oduro Owurani started his Barcamp journey in Koforidua circa 2014. Since he moved to Sunyani, he has been leading Sunyani Konnect meetups. His office (PPAG) received a massive waiver from Alva Photos in one of their community services, due PPAG partnering GhanaThink on Barcamp Sunyani 2023 and 2024. Nasir Akyaw Ahmed has been volunteering for the GhanaThink Foundation since he participated in his first Barcamp in Takoradi in 2014. He has also been to Barcamp Tamale (traveling from Yendi) and Barcamp Accra. He eventually became the Team Lead & Coordinator for Barcamp Accra.
Before Covid, Kwabena Osei-Owusu participated in Barcamp Koforidua which has opened opportunities for him to expand my knowledge and networks. He has leveraged that to start leading the Barcamp Koforidua team, as its biggest edition happened in 2024 under his leadership. He has travelled to participate in other Barcamps around Ghana and added: “The networking and mentorships provided by the teams has been great for me”.
After participating in Barcamps, Emmanuel Agyemang Obeng has been able to become the Logistics Lead for Barcamp Kumasi. Ebenezer Kwakye has applied for many opportunities through networking with peers at Barcamps in Ghana. He stated: “I have gained much confidence and self discipline”. Ernestina Owusua already had a skill but was reluctant to start a business with it. Barcamp Tamale inspired her, due to her interactions with the mentors which made her start my business properly.
Memuna Mohammed is the Logistics Lead for Barcamp Wa. She adores the fact that Barcamps have a lot of mentors coming in, and she had the chance to volunteer for some of them. She stated: “Barcamp Wa has always been wonderful and fun because I get to meet a lot of experienced mentors.” Sabina Pwasam Aweyona has been able to connect with GhanaThink members and other Barcampers across the country through business and other ways. She added: “I have been learning new things, networking, and meeting wonderful people”.
After Barcamp Wa 2019, Edward Kuuberme Naapong planned and started his Vision Shared Enterprise, registering it in June, 2020. He got support from Emmanuel Wullingdool (a #bcwa mentor he met during speed mentoring) in both social and academic learning. Through this free networking forum, he had training on entrepreneurship with Hub Upper West, led by Abdul Kawiyu. This Barcamp experience was his first external exposure putting him forward to carry his wishes out. He added: “I have since benefited from numerous opportunities including volunteering, mentorship, etc. In terms of NGO, I started nutrition for Life Foundation, and later partnered with someone to form True Vision Ghana. Indeed, Barcamp has been great”.
“In recent times, opportunities are just around us that could make life better for everyone , but who to enshrine, guide and mentor you to have these opportunities has become a problem”. This is what Gideon Babosima Daboo shared when he was talking about the impact of Barcamps. Engaging mentors around this at Barcamps in Ghana has guided the likes of Gideon about ideas on how to find these relevant opportunities in our communities. He exclaimed: “The networking session is absolutely amazing”
Barcamps in Ghana have been organized in very interactive ways to ensure networking past these events. Barcampers are able to recognize fellow participants and beneficiaries by name, face, easily. The program’s impact extends deeply into local communities through its localized events and the subsequent formation of self-sustaining groups.
By holding events in over 12 locations, GhanaThink ensures that youth outside the capital (Accra) also have access to vital networking and learning opportunities. This broad geographical spread helps address regional disparities in access to such platforms.
Beyond Barcamp Ghana, GhanaThink has fostered genuine, self-sustaining local communities, most notably through the formation of Konnect Meetups (which began in Kumasi in 2014) and subsequent Konnect groups (managed via WhatsApp with attendant Google Groups). These active online and offline communities demonstrate the organic growth of networks that extend knowledge sharing, networking, and collaborative opportunities far beyond the physical events, creating enduring ecosystems of support in various towns and cities. These communities are vital hubs for continued engagement and peer-to-peer mentorship.
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