Future of Ghana Five Year Report 2015 -2020
UK registered charity number: 1148382
Contents Introduction
3
A big thank you to our community
5
About us
6
What we do: Our pillars
7
Our reach/impact
9
Our work so far: 2015-2016
13
Spotlight: Future of Ghana Youth Leadership Forum: Solutions, Training & Networking, 2015, (#FOGYLF)
16
Spotlight: Our alumni
18
Our work so far: 2017-2018
19
Spotlight: Our research report - “Second-Generation British-Ghanaians and ‘Home’
22
Our work so far: 2019-2020
24
Spotlight: European Union/MADE West Africa funded workshop series, 2019
29
Spotlight: The Next Generation Leadership Programme (NGLP)
31
Spotlight: Volunteer Programme 2019 – Pathways to Success
33
Awards and recognition (2015 - 2020)
35
2020 Activities
36
Meet our trustees
36
What’s next for Future of Ghana?
38
Our nances
39
Chairman’s closing words
40
Get involved with Future of Ghana
41
Contact details
41
2
fi
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
Introduction On reflection, the last five years have been an extended period of transition. I say extended because the transition evolved and was birthed through the creation of Me Firi Ghana, a clothing brand founded because of my own personal identity crisis; a crisis mirrored by countless young Ghanaians around the world at the time. Me Firi Ghana clothing connected thousands of young Ghanaians globally, spurring a movement that united young people who shared a curious love for Ghana. A number of projects and initiatives were born through the Me Firi Ghana clothing brand, the most relevant being the What About Me (WAM) Campaign. The WAM Campaign was an annual volunteering project that took place in Ghana during the Christmas holiday period. The programme enabled resident Ghanaians and Ghanaians living abroad to connect and volunteer their time & skills to support marginalised children through our education programmes in Accra & Tamale. Between 2010-2014, we managed to galvanise 78 volunteers from 7 countries who contributed in excess of 1,100 hours of volunteering in Ghana. Me Firi Ghana was uniting second generation Ghanaians, but in hindsight, we can now see that it was a trojan horse laying the grounds for our current organisation, Future of Ghana. I say this because the WAM Campaign project was the first tangible development project we developed that created a physical connection and pathway for Ghanaians living abroad with resident Ghanaian youth. Through a grant we obtained from Africa UK, we analysed evaluation forms completed by volunteer participants between 2010-2014, hosted our first community forum and drafted a policy brief outlining best practices for engaging Ghanaian Diaspora youth with Ghana's development in 2014... unknowingly the scene had been set for the next 5 years! The learnings generated from this work led to the framing of our next half decade, which had the objective of understanding the needs of and coordinating activities for second-generation Ghanaians to deepen our learning and understanding of them. The hypothesis in 2014 was that second-generation Africans - especially those living abroad - will be mass influencers shaping economies in the next ten years. Of late, the hypothesis has become more prevalent as we’ve seen how a lack of engagement has pushed youth to influence political systems and demand change through organised demonstrations and created movements that have been amplified by social media. However, at the time, our hypothesis was framed through findings from our past activities and as a direct response to the feedback generated through the Me Firi Ghana clothing, blog and community events. It was also informed from reading reports and being invited as a keynote speaker and panellist for policy influencing events where I often saw how underrepresented and marginalised young people’s voices were during policy discussions around migration and development. During this period, policy influencing events tended to centre on remittance and its contribution to “developing countries”. But my thinking was, what about second-generation youth? They are better educated, in better jobs (in some respects) and have more surplus income than their parents – the main generation remitting – but have less of a connection with their country of origin. So, if stronger connections could be forged with their country of origin, then second-generation youth could become a titan force that can help to positively shape their country of origin and the African continent at large!
3
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
Thus, 2014 is the year we established our Top 30 under 30 Alumni project. The Top 30 under 30 Alumni project was developed to organise and mobilise a network of Ghana’s present and future leaders impacting industries globally; creating a robust and supported alumni network that can positively influence change. In 2015 Future of Ghana Youth Leadership Forum our first non-volunteering capacity building project was delivered in Ghana. The experience further re-emphasised the need for collaboration between skilled individuals both in the diaspora and in Ghana. A year later, our FOG Germany chapter was officially launched in Hamburg and we participated in the Government of Ghana’s Diaspora Homecoming Summit in 2017. In 2018 we launched our Second-generation British Ghanaians and home research report. This was a key piece of work that helped to shape our current strategy and further test our hypothesis as it explored the identity, engagement and remittance ideals of over 1000+ British Ghanaians who engaged in the report through our survey, focus groups and semi structured interviews. These were important milestones along our journey that helped with brand building, policy influencing and was the beginning of our three-year Partnership with AFFORD for an EU grant funded migration and development project. Entering into 2019, we re-established our annual Christmas volunteer programme and obtained EU & Big Lottery funding which enabled us to compare the findings from our 2018 British Ghanaian research report, with the needs & wants of Ghanaians living in Ghana by coordinating further research, forums and training programmes. 2020 was the year life shifted and a supposed “new normal” came upon the world as a result of Covid-19. It is the year that started so progressively for our organisation, as we co-authored and helped shape the impact and recommendations from the MADE West Africa Programme Emerging Themes in Migration and Development in an Era of COVID-19 report. However, Covid-19 swiftly became the pinnacle of a multitude of world events that has really shifted what travel, development and remittance looks like. For us, 2020 was a year of reshaping our organisation, onboarding a new set of skilled trustees, developing a robust intentional organisational strategy to direct our activities for the next four years and establish ourselves as a thought leading organisation and mouthpiece for the generation we aim to serve! This report provides a more in-depth overview of our work and impact to date with specific focus on activities which took place between 2015 and 2020. Moving forward we will be publishing annual reports in the first quarter of each new year. We hope you enjoy reading our journey thus far and we look forward to continuing our journey with you as we outline some of our plans moving forward.
Arnold Sarfo-Kantanka Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Future of Ghana
4
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
A big thank you to our community
We’d like to start by saying a huge thank you to all of our donors, delivery partners, volunteers and supporters over the years with a special mention to: Tullow Oil • The National Lottery Community Fund (formerly the Big Lottery Fund) • The European Union • The Svani Group • Africa UK • Regent’s University London • World Remit • MoneyGram • Ernest Frimpong • Family Life Christian Centre • JustGiving • Ray Lewis, Mayor’s Office London • The African Foundation for Development (AFFORD UK) • Star 100 • GUBA UK • Ernest Simmons Photography • International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) • The Heritage and Cultural Society of Africa (HACSA) • Ashesi University • International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ghana • Ghana Tech Summit • Mayor's Office – Greater London Assembly • Lord Michael Hastings • Ghana Diaspora Office • Bellavia RibeiroAddy • The Diane Abbott Foundation • Ghana High Commission UK • 805 Restaurant UK • Nadu Placca and Zoo XYZ Ltd • Impact Hub, Ghana • New Africa Nation • Future Stars
We’d also like to thank our media partners: Vox Africa • BEN TV • YANGA! • African Voices • The Voice Newspaper • Pride Magazine • AfricaX5 • GN TV • Colourful Radio UK • GN Radio UK • ABN TV • Thomson Reuters • Joy News TV • Metro TV • The Daily Guide • The Daily Spectator • Ghana Broadcasting Corporation • Live 91.9 FM • British Blacklist • Africa News • CNBC Africa • Modern Ghana • Ameyaw Debrah • OT Radio • Genesis Radio Birmingham • Afrique Actualités • Ghana News Online • Ghana Web • Modern Ghana • Ghana 101 • Ghana News 24
FOG Volunteer Team: Arnold Sarfo-Kantanka • Ben Anim-Antwi • Pearl Boateng • Samuel Mensah-Bonsu • Irene Mensa-Bonsu • Derrick Owusu Amoako • Stephanie Otuo-Acheampong • Eleanor Opoku
FOG Volunteers between 2015-2020: Nora Mistersky • Noreen Dove • Francis Addai • Kirstie Kwarteng • Andrea Amaning • Tracy Aryee-Quao • Sandra Garber • Benjamina Dadzie • Jermaine Bamfo • Gillian Ekua Asafu-Adjaye • Jacqueline Kusi-Asomah • Sha Osei • Gabriel Odartei • Queenstar Amponsah • Joseph Aninakwa • Andrew Amoah • Frank Junior Ampomah • James Paul McCarthy • Denzel Boateng • Charles Adaah • Peter Oluwole • Justice Kanu • Kalm Paul-Christian
FOG (Germany) Volunteer Team: Lucy Larbi • Jeff Jacobsen • Daniel Tiemor • Elina Fechtner • Emily Danso • Katia Danquah • Louisa Schätz • Lyn Birago • Martina Offeh • Phillip Harms • Sarah Owusu • Shanice Sintim • Tanja Scheffler • Isabel Laqua • Ted Schiewelbein • Emelia Serwaa Danso • Franziska Peters • Jessica Köster • Dennis Ofosu • Jada Aduam
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
5
About us Future of Ghana (FOG) is a UK registered charity established to organise, mobilise and connect second-generation Ghanaians in the diaspora with each other and with Ghanaians at home. We are a values-driven organisation focused on building legacy across generations. From our Board of Trustees to our volunteers, we believe the mobilisation of knowledge, skills and resources of Ghanaians at home and abroad plays a pivotal role in empowering communities both in the UK and in Ghana. We endeavour to be an exemplary organisation in how we support nation-building through our FOG Pillars and work with young people between the ages of 16-35. Future of Ghana is headquartered in the UK with a regional chapter in Germany, Future of Ghana Germany. Our core organisational teams consist of 21 skilled volunteers, of which 9 and 12 are based in the UK and Germany respectively. Our team members are responsible for operations, strategy and delivery of our programmes, events and advocacy activities. Though each of our country organisations is independently registered with their respective national nongovernmental organisation (NGO) laws and regulations we operate and align to achieve a common vision.
Future of Enterprise Forum, Accra, 2019
FOG Germany Team
Our Vision
Young Ghanaians globally uniting to drive positive change in Ghana, through innovation & collaboration.
Our Mission
To create platforms for young Ghanaians at home and abroad to connect, share skills and knowledge to impact Ghana’s development.
Innovation - We embrace new ideas, creative thinking and new technology in all of our work.
Our Values
Excellence - In everything we do, we strive for excellence to be our average. Connecting generations - We seek to learn from and connect with the generations that have come before us and the generations to come.
Integrity - We aim to be open, transparent and honest in how we operate, steward our resources and deliver our services. Building communities - We build and empower our communities through programmes and events in collaboration with partners, funders and sponsors.
6
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
What we do: Our pillars In 2020, we redefined our core delivery areas, also known as our “pillars”. Find out more below:
Volunteering We connect Ghanaians abroad with opportunities to collaborate with Ghanaians at home. We do this in two ways: • Facilitating short-term community-based volunteering and via skilled volunteering • Matching diaspora/Ghanaian professionals abroad with specific industries, organisations and needs in Ghana.
Livelihoods In collaboration with Ghana-based partners, we deliver projects focused on entrepreneurship and job creation to empower economically marginalised young people and communities in Ghana.
Community We provide platforms that connect and empower second and third generation UK-based Ghanaian communities through access to credible information, advice and opportunities.
7
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
Advocacy
We engage with and provide a voice for young people within our community and beyond, so we can take intentional steps to ensure their voice helps to influence decision makers in developing, amending and implementing policies in Ghana and our countries of operation.
Alumni We recognise and celebrate annual cohorts of Ghana’s most promising, high performing global Top 30 Under 30 talent. We provide capacity building support for Alumni and connect them through digital platforms, events and projects.
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
8
Our reach/impact
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
9
We have delivered 6 London-based forums engaging over 1100 first, second and third generation Ghanaians.
We have delivered 4 workshops and forums in Ghana engaging over 300 participants. Topics ranged from creating practical youth led solutions and frameworks for harnessing diaspora skills and finances to navigating creative industries and establishing a strong personal brand.
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
10
We worked with 93 Ghana-based entrepreneurs to create frameworks and practical youth led solutions for harnessing diaspora skills and finances for job creation.
We have enlisted 105 volunteers, contributing 1,436 hours of volunteering hours in schools and communities in Ghana between 2018 and 2019.
We have identified 150 outstanding Ghanaians globally to be selected and inducted into our Top 30 Under 30 Alumni network.
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
11
We conducted a research study into the remittance practices of second-generation British-Ghanaians and engaged over 1000+ participants in the process.
We co-authored the “Impact and Recommendations from the MADE West Africa Programme: Emerging Themes in Migration and Development in an Era of COVID-19" report in collaboration with the Migration and Development Civil Society Network (MADE), Forim, ICMC, AFFORD, University of Ghana and funded by the European Union. The report highlights lessons learned from the MADE West Africa project activities (including research, in-country trainings, multi-stakeholder meetings, SDG assessments, and five seed funds across Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Togo and Senegal), which can be applied to migration and development during and post-COVID-19.
We supported the launch of the German chapter of Future of Ghana, Future of Ghana Germany (FOGG).
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
12
Our work so far: 2015-2016 March 2015 The launch of our first Future of Ghana Top 30 Under 30 Publication at The Ghana High Commission, London. Our esteemed host Claire Clottey led us in an evening of celebration which recognised the excellence and achievements of our first ever cohort of Alumni along with 150 attendees.
August 2015 Future of Ghana Youth Leadership Forum: Solutions, Training & Networking (#FOGYLF) We delivered a 3-day youth skills and leadership forum at Ashesi University, Ghana, engaging almost 200 young people. This intergenerational exchange between forward thinking entrepreneurial youth and thought leaders from around the world included keynote speakers such as Lord Dr Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE, Dr Yemisi Bokinni and Ameyaw Debrah amongst others. Its purpose was to generate new thinking, attitudes and approaches towards moving Ghana and the African continent at large forward. Find out more here!
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
13
March 2016 We delivered our annual Future of Ghana Forum to celebrate Ghana's 59th Independence. This year’s forum took place at City Hall, London with 250 attendees. We also launched our second Top 30 Under 30 publication and hosted an esteemed panel discussing the theme “Changing the levers of accountability - The role of young people in the diaspora”.
April 2016 MFG Members’ Breakfast Networking Meeting. We hosted a members’ breakfast networking meeting with 23 attendees at Rise London (Barclays Accelerator Hub). This event aimed at generating new thinking, attitudes and approaches to how secondgeneration diasporans can contribute to socioeconomic development in the UK, Ghana and Africa through income, skills and investments.
May 2016 President of Ghana Diaspora Engagement Reception at Carlton Jumeriah Hotel. We were requested by the Ghana High Commission UK to facilitate the engagement of second-generation Ghanaians at this event. Within 24 hours, we registered over 120 young professionals as part of our continued commitment to drive youth engagement and inclusion within Ghana's development. The event presented the opportunity to meet key individuals from Ghana's previous government - such as Ghana's then Attorney General and Communications Minister - as well as esteemed individuals within the BritishGhanaian community.
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
14
October 2016 Launch of Future of Ghana Germany (FOGG) in Hamburg. After months of planning, FOGG was successfully launched at the Mercedes Centre, Hamburg. A packed event with close to 200 African diasporans in attendance gave the audience the opportunity to engage with the vision and concept behind how FOGG planned to unite and mobilise the German diaspora starting within Hamburg. The event was a resounding success which saw a fusion of firstand second-generation diaspora unite and connect with each other and others.
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
15
Spotlight: Future of Ghana Youth Leadership Forum: Solutions, Training & Networking, 2015 (#FOGYLF)
Quotes from attendees: "The presentation and panel discussions were inspiring, motivating and soul stirring." "You elevated my mindset and skills to a whole new level. I feel more empowered and ready. I believe Africa needs a change." "Although am not Ghanaian, I believe that I am a global citizen thus the Future of Ghana is relevant to me too." "The forum has reignited the passion I had for seeing Africa as a continent transform and blossom into one of the world's greatest continents. I believe that it is through individuals like you striving to make an impact a step at a time that Ghana and Africa as a whole will be able to move forward. Thank you once again to you and your team for not giving up on Ghana and Africa."
16
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
"I write to you today to express my profound gratitude for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the team as a volunteer for 3 days. Through this forum, you not only enabled me to network with very influential people in our society but to acquire confidence, entrepreneurial skills and a vast wealth of knowledge. You are an inspiration to the youth and a great leader. I pray you will continue to #CreateAmazing."
“Once upon a time I was a sad fellow and at the point the forum came I had lost my job in a sad way which caused me lots of pains. Some few months down the lane after the leadership forum, by God’s grace, I own a growing global consulting firm with satisfied clients in Ghana, Nigeria and Dubai. The leadership forum taught me how to move on like a river and gave me a new mindset which has now become my lifestyle. The good thing? I am still becoming...”
Quote from panellist: "It was an honour to participate in FOGYLF. It was as much a learning experience for us as it was for participants, and we look forward to other opportunities to share ideas amongst ourselves and with the emerging generation."
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
17
Spotlight: Our Alumni In 2014 we established our annual Top 30 Under 30 project which selects Ghana’s next generation of leaders/role models. We do this through a rigorous search and nomination process. The final list is compiled and shared in our annual Publication which also features forward thinking articles, features and interviews highlighting key industries, innovators and organisations in Ghana and Africa more widely. The T30U30 Alumni are independently selected by a panel of Future of Ghana judges. The selection criteria are made public at the start of the campaign and is guided by our constitution. The Publication is printed & distributed electronically and is helping to catalyse and encourage greater youth participation in the development of Ghana whilst acting as a visual source of inspiration for the emerging generation and a talent resource for investors and organisations. In 2019, after successfully identifying 5 cohorts, we took a hiatus to refresh our approach and offering to our Alumni network. As part of the FOG Alumni Pillar, our next Top 30 under 30 project will be relaunched at the end of 2021.
Male Alumni
58% Female Alumni
42%
Where in the world Alumni reside
US/Canada
16%
Europe
34%
Asia
1%
Africa
50%
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
18
Our work so far: 2017-2018 June 2017 Launch of the Future of Ghana diaspora research project. We conducted surveys, focus groups and interviews to understand second-generation BritishGhanaians’ remittance patterns. During the research process we engaged over 800 survey respondents in total, had 25 focus group participants and 8 highranking British-Ghanaian leaders take part in the research process.
July 2017 Ghana Diaspora Homecoming Summit, Accra. The Government of Ghana’s second diaspora homecoming was a platform designed to create continuous dialogue and opportunity for the Ghanaian community abroad to interact with Ghana in a productive and mutually beneficial way to harness Ghana’s resource potential for accelerated development. We designed, coordinated and managed social media for the entire Summit. Through our efforts, we increased diaspora awareness & engagement and managed to get the event trending on Twitter. Our CEO Arnold Sarfo-Kantanka also represented FOG as a speaker on a panel discussing ‘Opportunities for the second-generation’. Watch Arnold’s post-summit interview here. Delivery partners for the MADE West Africa diaspora stakeholder meeting on development and job creation in Ghana through remittances: A practical framework at the British Council, Accra, Ghana. Here we supported the delivery of the workshop which focused on creating a practical framework for harnessing diaspora remittances more effectively.
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
19
February 2018 Delivery partners for AFFORD’s ‘Enabling and Enhancing Diaspora Contribution to Development and Job Creation’ workshop hosted by the British Council, Accra, Ghana. This multi-stakeholder meeting convened in Accra, Ghana sought to promote and concretise the implementation of practical and innovative frameworks between the Ghana government, the diaspora and wider civil society to channel remittances from the diaspora to Ghana more effectively. Themes covered included development, advocacy, job creation, negotiation and establishing professional and business networks for diasporans.
March 2018 “Second-Generation British-Ghanaians and ‘Home’: Identity, Engagement and Remittances” report launch and celebration of Ghana’s 61st year of independence. #FOGResearch Future of Ghana's annual forum & celebration of Ghana's 61st Independence also marked the UK launch of our diaspora research report. The event brought together over 350 second-generation Ghanaians living in the UK to discuss, create and provide practical ways in which to enhance our connection with Ghana at Regent’s University London. On the night, attendees networked with likeminded Ghanaians and diasporans whilst hearing from an esteemed group of speakers and our Head of Research who shared key highlights/findings which we uncovered from our research report which engaged over 1000 UKbased Ghanaians.
20
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
October 2018 Annual Future of Ghana Forum, House of Commons, London. We held our second forum in 2018 which was hosted by the Diane Abbott Foundation and funded by MADE WA, ICMC and the European Union. Our theme focused on the “Year of Return”, had just under 200 attendees and had speakers such as Rt. Hon Diane Abbott MP, officials from the Diaspora Affairs Office incl. Ghana’s Youth Ambassador, Ghana’s Former Ambassador for UNESCO, and Ambassador to France and Portugal and Ms. Afua Gyasiwaa Gaise, Head of the Education Section, Ghana High Commission, UK and Ireland. Panellists included Akosua Annobil, Founder of AB2020, Jude Yawson, Writer, Poet, Film Critic & Author, Elvina Quaison, Engagement and Policy Manager at AFFORD and Cyril Ofori Nelson Co-Founder & Managing Director of So-Frachie Media Ghana.
December 2018 Re-launch of the Future of Ghana Volunteering Programme. After a 5-year hiatus we re-launched our volunteering programme by partnering with New Africa Nation and Fuse ODG to support a 2day volunteering programme in Ghana. Day 1 focused on painting and refurbishing a school in Akosombo, Eastern Region. Day 2 supported the delivery of the This Is New Africa (T.I.N.A) global diaspora Conference in Accra.
,
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
21
Spotlight: Our research report “Second-Generation British-Ghanaians and ‘Home’: Identity, Engagement and Remittances” #FOGResearch Key findings 1. The dominant form of engagement among second-generation British-Ghanaians is social remittances however a significant proportion also remit financially
Engagement in different types of social remittances
2. Identity is the most powerful determinant of how second-generation British-Ghanaians engage or do not engage with Ghana
Engagement in different types of social remittances
3. So who is most likely to remit? Financial Remittances • She is female • Identifies as British-Ghanaian • Is between 25 - 34 years old • Earns between £31,000 and £40,000 • Speaks at least one Ghanaian language • Works in the corporate world • Does not belong to any diaspora group • Remits socially also but only half of the time
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
Social Remittances • She is female • Identifies as British-Ghanaian • Is between 18-24 years old • Is a full-time student • Speaks at least one Ghanaian language • Belongs to a diaspora group • Engages mainly through cultural activities and also remits financially but only half of the time
22
4. Education, health and entrepreneurship rank highly as areas of priority for secondgeneration British-Ghanaians
5. Almost two thirds of our 493 survey respondents do not belong to a diaspora organisation/network
6. 84% of our 493 survey respondents wish to relocate to Ghana at some point in the future
Read our full report here
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
23
Our work so far: 2019-2020 March 2019 We held our annual forum at the House of Commons, London with the support of the Diane Abbott Foundation, 170 attendees and funding from MADE WA, ICMC and the European Union. Our theme focused on exploring three topical question areas: 1. How do I find genuine volunteering or employment opportunities in Ghana? 2. What are the benefits of volunteering or working in Ghana? What does the process look like? 3. Should I return to Ghana or is it a temporary hype? Speakers included: Rt Hon Diane Abbott, MP, Lexy Boahene, Founder of LXH Recruitment, Einstein Ntim, Founder of Ghana Tech Summit and Melissa Bediako, Groups Events Manager, Kempinski Ghana.
May 2019 We were delivery partners for AFFORD’s 3rd MultiStakeholder Forum in Ghana. This event focused on exploring, mobilising and building partnership between local authorities, Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs), Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and diaspora investors to channel diaspora resources towards sustainable local economic development and job and wealth creation.
24
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
June 2019 Workshop series: The Future of the Creative Industry | Events Management Training; Enterprise in Ghana From Talk to Action | A practical framework - Impact Hub and British Council, Accra. We delivered a series of workshops led by Samuel Mensah-Bonsu (creative industry expert and Future of Ghana Creative Director), Nadu Placca (Founder, The Zoo XYZ Ltd) and the FOG Team respectively with funding from MADE WA, ICMC and the European Union. Samuel’s workshop focused on tools and tips to develop your personal brand and navigate the creative industry successfully. Nadu led training on effective events management. The final workshop focused on job creation and sought to understand the needs of small growing enterprises in Ghana and how Ghana-based professionals believed the diaspora could contribute to their growth. We were invited to attend a consultative meeting to discuss a draft report by the Commonwealth Consultant on the State of Youth Development in Ghana as part of the review of Ghana's 2010 National Youth Policy. The report involved a stakeholder mapping and centres on 5 domains namely education, health and well-being, employment and opportunity, civic participation, and political participatio . We were asked to review and make inputs into a new report which would inform the development of a new fit-for purpose national youth policy. Recommendations from our own 2018 research report were included in the final consultation report and fed into the overall policy.
25
n
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
August 2019 The HACSA Summit – 400 years on. We partnered with HACSA on their international summit held at Kempinski Hotel, Ghana, to discuss legacy, communities and innovation as we commemorated the 400-year anniversary of the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade.
October 2019 Volunteering Programme Fundraising Event. Our team ran a fundraiser for approximately. 50 attendees to learn more about our Volunteer Programme in Ghana and how they can get involved. We also sought donations to support two schools in Ghana and their students with resources.
October 2019 Next Generation Leadership Programme (funded by the National Lottery Community Fund). The NGLP programme was designed to expose young people to potential pathways for their future careers whilst equipping them with transferable skills to help them advance within a competitive society thereby improving their academic engagement and achievement
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
26
FOG Volunteering Programme 2019. 2019’s theme was Pathways to Success and education being fun and meaningful. We also partnered with Future Stars, a sports education charity who delivered one of our sessions. The 2019 volunteer programme brought together 43 volunteers who contributed 774 hours of volunteering over two days delivering skills exchange programme to 99 marginalised children in 2 schools in Tema, Ghana.
December 2019 FOG x HACSA: Forum, Fundraiser and Q&A with James Barnor. A celebration and conversation with Ghana’s living legend, the iconic, celebrated, awardwinning, pioneering photographer James Barnor whose career spans 6 decades. Mr. Barnor, our Patron, shared his pictorial journey and life experiences describing life in the Gold Coast, Ghana and 1960’s Britain through images he captured of everyday life, fashion and culture at home and in the diaspora with host, HACSA’s Founder & President, Ambassador Johanna Svanikier and the audience
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
December 2019
27
February 2020 We co-authored the “Impact and Recommendations from the MADE West Africa Programme: Emerging Themes in Migration and Development in an Era of COVID-19" report and our CEO presented this report during a roundtable meeting in Brussels. This report highlights lessons learned from the MADE West Africa project activities which can be applied to migration and development during and postCOVID-19. Our inputs focused on amplifying the voice, perspectives and contributions of youth and ensuring their inclusion as key stakeholders.
February 2020 Next Generation Leadership Programme (NGLP) Celebration. We invited the 2019 cohort, their families and friends, and our partners to celebrate and recognise our participants. The NGLP celebration event and forum was hosted by the Diane Abbott Foundation, engaged inspirational keynote speakers and a panel of special guests who shared their career journeys, inspirational stories and advice with our audience.
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
28
Spotlight: European Union/MADE West Africa Funded Job creation training workshops, 2019
The Future of the Creative Sector seminar and training workshop had 25 attendees and was led by Samuel Mensah-Bonsu, Creative Director here at Future of Ghana. The first part of the seminar was a visual narrative and Q&A session followed by a one-to-one interview with Michael Newlove, a leading creative based in Accra. The attendees were organised into groups to think about how the creative sector can develop more jobs and how Ghana-based creatives and those abroad can collaborate to improve job creation moving forward. Find out more about our Future of the Creative Industry seminar and workshop here.
The Future of Events Management training session was oversubscribed and had 35 attendees on the day. The training was delivered in partnership with The Zoo XYZ Ltd, a company owned by Nadu Placca, a returnee and second-generation BritishGhanaian. The training provided a practical and interactive ten step guide to managing an event. The Event Management training session and the Creative Seminar training workshop both received media attention via an exclusive news feature on Metro TV as shown in the following video.
Find out more about our Future of Events Management training workshop here
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
29
“The breakout sessions were very
“I found the design workshop
“I am hoping this does not end here.
"Thank you so much for the training
useful, I was able to learn from others.“
[breakout session] particularly
More of this will create learning and
organised and the good work being
useful. I learnt about challenges
networking opportunities.“
done by the Future of Ghana team."
affecting small, growing organisations (SGOs) in Ghana and ways to minimise them.“
The Future of Enterprise Forum & Workshop Had 93 second generation business owners & professionals in attendance. Seth Tandoh delivered a powerful keynote on how leadership affects and can positively influence the growth of startups in Ghana and job creation. Panellists Terry Afra (Business Development Consultant: Bridge consulting group), Linda Ansong, (Co-Founder & Executive Director STEMbees), Emmanuel Edudzie (Founder and Executive Director, Youth Empowerment Synergy: Y.E.S – Ghana), Jemila Abdulai (Creative Director and Founding Editor, Circumspecte) discussed their roles as returnees and the opportunities and challenges of setting up businesses in Ghana. Sessions for attendees included presenting our findings from our 2018 research report on second-generation remittance practices, keynote, panel sessions, Q&A and practical sessions for attendees to design a digital skills platform to support job creation and growth of Small, Growing Organisations (SGOs) in Ghana. Find out more about our Future of Enterprise Forum in Ghana here. Our workshop series was funded by MADE WA, ICMC and the European Union.
m
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
30
Spotlight: The Next Generation Leadership Programme (NGLP)
The Next Generation Leadership Programme (NGLP) is an alternative educational programme designed to inspire, motivate and broaden the mindsets of young people aged 11 to 18. The pilot programme was funded by the Big Lottery Fund and designed to expose young people to practical potential pathways for their future careers whilst equipping them with transferable skills to help them advance within a competitive society as well as improve their academic engagement and achievement. The 2019 NGLP engaged over 20 young people in London, supporting the students to explore experiences to enhance their educational and future career pathways. It took place in Croydon during October half term 2019 in conjunction with our delivery local partner LIFT Mentoring, an innovative Croydon-based mentoring company supporting young people in education. We also worked with 12 local partner organisations who fed into the delivery of the programme. They were: LIFT Mentoring Project, Croydon Supplementary Education Project, Legacy Youth Zone, Crystal Palace Football Club Community Programme, Brunel University, Nexus Business Centre, Queens Square Croydon, Sussex Innovation Centre, NatWest Bank, Blue Jay Café and the Diane Abbott Foundation. Find out what our participants’ parents had to say about the programme on the next page.
View our NGLP summary video
31
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
"He could have done many counterproductive things during half term but instead, he was surrounded by positive, successful people and likeminded youths giving him direction in many areas of his life. He learnt new skills and opened his eyes to future opportunities, instead of having a limited mindset to the things right in front of him. I admire the supportive roles the project workers undertook!"
"Very good initiative put together for the young people and believe it should be implemented for all young people in the Croydon borough."
"It takes a village to raise a child and there is a great need for young people to understand the importance of giving back to one's community."
"Mainstream education offers no such programmes for young people of colour and largely focuses on exam results, GCSE, A Level outcomes."
"I saw her blossom in a matter of days"
"It provided the children with something to do, positive things over the half term break and made them think, also provided continued structured activities"
"My daughter really enjoyed being there and learning and especially at half term where I didn't have to pay for care for her."
Top Things Children Learnt: According to participants and their parents
• • • • • • • • • • •
How to deal with money and how to manage personal problems such as bullying. That she can achieve, that university provides opportunities and she can do anything if she puts her mind to it. Emotional intelligence, insight into career options and insight into higher education Being positive, I can do it and having fun Business and emotional intelligence Making positive choices, options in future aspirations, positive role models in different industries About further education, some banking procedures, business in general How the banking system works, that children could have bank accounts and the confidence building activities Money saving, operating a company and body language Self confidence, motivation and mixing with other children About the retail banking industry, business start ups and networking
32
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
Spotlight: Volunteer Programme 2019 – Pathways to Success Our 2019 FOG led volunteer programme, ‘Pathways to Success’ was delivered in 2 schools in Tema, Ghana on December 30th 2019 and January 6th 2020. The Future of Ghana Team, Future Stars Coaches, 27 volunteers and 7 keynote speakers came together over the two separate days to deliver fun and engaging workshop sessions to 99 children during their Christmas vacation. We discussed different kinds of success, the importance of education, leadership, different career trajectories, the importance of teamwork and building the skills necessary to realise our dreams and goals. Students also engaged in games, sports, presentations and creating positive affirmations like “I am confident, I am smart and I will be great!”. Volunteers were able to help students realise their own leadership skills and build confidence and assurance in their career paths. Keynote speaker William Adoasi (an FOG Alumni) gave an inspirational talk on founding his business Vitae London, and gifted a student with a watch after the student asked a great question. Keynote speaker Sarah Douglas (also an FOG Alumni) also had a huge impact on the children as she led on a session on practical career pathways at one of our schools. The children were split into different groups and each given an opportunity to attend every session within the day with a new FOG volunteer supporting each group, they were also given the opportunity to present their work and learnings throughout the day to the other students. The teachers and staff members at both schools were very grateful to be chosen as a school to support and were impressed with the workshops delivered. One headteacher said “On behalf of our school and the students, I say a big thank you for coming to impact the lives of our students. May God bless you with all that matters to you and the family”.
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
33
Student quotes: “We were in class, learning all types of things including career sessions, what you should do to end up at your goals and we should try our best to go step by step because it is not easy but we can make it with effort”. “They [the volunteers] encouraged us to have confidence, trust in what you want to do. There was a saying that we learnt that goes “I can do it, I must do it and I will do it” so no matter what the challenges are, “I know I will do it!”
Volunteer/partner quotes: “It’s been enjoyable going back to our roots with the kids. And even after going to school in the UK, spending time with the kids has shown that they are not much different to us”. Sean Bonsu - Volunteer “It’s a beautiful experience as well and I think that people back at home in the UK should do this and try and spend some quality time in helping charitable companies within the UK like Future of Ghana, that are supporting kids in Africa as well as kids back at home [in the UK]” Kwesi Asiedu - Volunteer “We were able to engage the kids in talking about their future careers. We held the sports session out on the pitch and they have also done all the classroom stuff and it was fantastic! The kids were very engaged and they all enjoyed it”. Titus Bramble – Future Stars Charity Ambassador “The kids are innocent and they are going to grow up into a world that we are going to leave behind, so it’s just good to have that input into their future”. Kwesi Asiedu - Volunteer
Working with the schools to deliver this programme was an honour and we hope to return in 2021!
34
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
Awards and recognition (2015 - 2020)
Awards 2017: Africa Diaspora Awards: Honorary Community Engagement Award
Recognition 2015: Advised & assisted The Global African Investment Summit to market and recruit clients for their African Entrepreneurship Programme supporting African entrepreneurs and young African businesses 2017: Designed and delivered the President of Ghana’s maiden Diaspora Homecoming Summit digital engagement strategy 2020: Co-authored “Impact and Recommendations from the MADE West Africa Programme Emerging Themes in Migration and Development in an Era of COVID-19" for the MADE West Africa roadmap. Read the report here.
35
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
2020 Activites 2020 was a year for reflection and rebuilding internally. Our activities largely consisted of refreshing our strategy, governance and operational structures. Specifically, we refreshed our short- and medium-term strategy, redefined our mission, vision, pillars and values, planned for 2021, updated internal policies and onboarded new trustees.
Meet our Trustees We’re delighted to introduce our trustees who are responsible for the overall governance, management and strategic oversight of Future of Ghana. Find out more about them below.
Bennard Owusu: Chair of Trustees Bennard Owusu is the Senior Partner at BWF Solicitors and specialises in immigration, nationality, child, family and matrimonial law. In addition, he has expertise in general civil litigation including dispute resolution. Bennard is a member of the Ghana Bar Association and a specialist in Ghanaian law including customary law and marriages, inheritance, children, registration of mirror orders, international reciprocal agreements, land and real estate. Bennard has 28 years’ experience in all aspects of UK immigration and nationality law and related human rights work and leads a team of advisors. His expertise covers the full spectrum of business, investor and employment related immigration as well as personal immigration matters. Bennard is a member of the Law Society’s Family and Immigration Law Accreditation Scheme and Resolution First for Family. He is an accredited Senior Caseworker under the Solicitors Regulation Authority Accreditation Scheme (Immigration & Asylum Accreditation Scheme (IAAS)). He is also a Director at Lintas MullenLowe Accra (part of the Advantage Group), which is the oldest marketing and integrated communications agency in Ghana, established in 1927.
Doreen Thompson Addo: Secretary Doreen is a qualified Career Development and Wellbeing Coach with over 15 years’ experience in the not-for-profit sector. She started her career in the voluntary sector, working for one the country's largest Volunteer Centres and cofounding its award-winning corporate volunteering arm. As Head of Programmes at the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust she established a portfolio of projects for young people and the local community, gaining recognition of her programmes from the likes of Boris Johnson and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. She currently works full time at Royal Holloway University as a Careers Consultant, in addition to running a career coaching and voice-over business. Outside of work Doreen spends time exploring the great outdoors and encouraging others in the black community to do the same through her social media platform Melanin Outdoors. Doreen is our longest serving Trustee, having joined the board since November 2017.
36
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
Wilfred Fianko: Treasurer Wilfred is a Co-Founder of Cornerstone Partners, the UK’s first and leading Angel Network focused on investing in businesses led by black and diverse founders in the UK. Wilfred has also spent the last 12 years working as a management consultant at UBS Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs, and KPMG. He has worked on a variety of multi-million-pound change programs including business and finance transformation, optimising processes and scaling businesses seeking to grow and achieve scale efficiently. A seasoned angel investor of almost 5 years. Wilfred’s area of focus has been within Media, Entertainment and E-commerce sectors. He is a member of the UK British Angel Association (UKBAA) and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Brunel University. His responsibilities have also included long term operational improvement programs. This includes the flagship “Cornerstone 2.0 – The Scale-Up Program run annually for a cohort of 20 innovative and promising businesses. Wilfred was also a finalist in the Black Business Awards 2020 entrepreneur ‘rising star’ category, a prestigious awards program to celebrate the achievement of some of the country’s best talent across a range of industries.
Nike Awoyinka: Trustee Head of Admissions and Recruitment at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Nike Awoyinka is responsible for shaping, implementing and operationalising student recruitment at the world-renowned specialist art education provider. She is a passionate advocate of the transformative power of arts and creative education for the development of African economies. Before entering the UK Higher Education sector Nike worked in broadcasting and the international not for profit sectors, serving as the programme lead for the UK Department for International Development local governance programmes in Sub Saharan Africa and as the Head of Communications for Common Ground Productions, a world leading conflict transformational international NGO. She has also worked as a positioning consultant for clients such as Louis Vuitton, Moet, Hennessey Sub Sahara Africa, Red Campaign and 46664 Mandela Project. Her education background includes a Masters in Mass Communication from London Metropolitan University and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Marketing from the London College of International Business Studies.
37
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
What’s next For Future of Ghana? 2021 and beyond Alumni This year we will be strengthening our offering to Alumni and providing a range of opportunities for them to network, collaborate and develop through peer learning opportunities, social media takeovers, away days and FOG led-skills training sessions.
Community/Advocacy In summer, we intend on delivering a virtual forum for 11-18 year olds based in the UK which will be focused on careers and skills. We will bring together a range of inspirational speakers from a range of professions to speak with our young audience, expose them to new and exciting career pathways, answer any questions they have and engage in innovative skills training.
Volunteering In the second quarter of 2021 we aim to deliver a virtual volunteering event where we will provide attendees with the opportunity to network with our FOG Alumni connecting skilled volunteers in the diaspora with specific organisational needs from within our Alumni network. Registration will go live in April.
Operations We’ll be expanding our core team and will be recruiting for the following roles: Social Media Co-ordinator, Fundraising & Partnerships Manager, Design Officer, Alumni Relations Officer and PR officer. Recruitment advertisements will be shared in the second quarter of 2021 on our website and social media channels.
For updates on our upcoming events, programmes and opportunities please follow us on social media or sign up to our newsletter. Details on how to do so are on the last page.
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
38
Our Finances During the 2015-2020 we had a total income of £22,370 and expenditure of £9,078 with the remaining funds to be carried forwards at year end. The types of funding received across the 2015-2020 period have varied between donations, restricted/ unrestricted funding and grants as well as sponsorship and fundraising. Our new strategy addresses ways in which we can solidify consistent income through our various funding channels. Full audited accounts are available via the Charity Commission.
Future of Ghana Charity Income & Expenditure: 2015-2020
Amount (GBP)
24000 18000 12000
£22,370
6000
£9,078
0
Income
Expenditure
Types of funding received: 2015-2020
1% <1% <1% 1%
23% 47% 29%
Grants-restricted
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
In-Kind donations
Donations
Fundraising
Regular Donations
39
Chairman’s closing words My fellow board members and I are honoured to be part of this exciting organisation. It has been humbling to be able to serve and work with such talented young men and women from diverse backgrounds. Although the past year has been extremely challenging for the organisation as we were gripped by the global pandemic and all the limitations it brought. I am struck by the collective resilience shown by members of this organisation, a trait developed through years of commitment and dedication. The last five years has seen the Future of Ghana transition from an initiative showcasing and celebrating global youth talent, to an organisation creating platforms for its network to impact Ghana’s development. Along the way we have witnessed the engagement of over a thousand young people through innovative forums and workshops in Europe and Ghana alike. We have ensured the voice of a section of our core audience was heard through the release of our research report on second generation British-Ghanaian behaviours; a report that helped influence national national youth policy in Ghana. We have also seen our Alumni network continue to grow annually allowing the organisation direct access to some of the brightest young minds globally. However, there is always room for more growth. As an organisation, we have redefined our delivery framework which will now be driven through our five FOG pillars - Volunteering, Livelihoods, Community, Advocacy and Alumni - and we are increasingly confident of making an even bigger impact in the next five years. We believe that young people can make all the difference to their communities and their lives through the power of volunteering. We are hopeful that our range of volunteering programmes and projects will help facilitate this – whether in person or virtually. This year and beyond, we hope to strengthen relations with our Alumni and provide a range of networking and capacity building opportunities to support their amazing work. Similarly we believe by engaging third-generation Ghanaians and supporting them on their education and career pathways and providing tangible internship, mentoring and employment opportunities we are helping set them up for the years to come. We are most grateful to all our volunteers, alumni and executives for their dedication to the organisation all these years. We look forward to what lies ahead for our organisation and our community.
Bennard Owusu Future of Ghana, Chair Of Trustees
40
Future of Ghana Five Year Report: 2015-2020
Get involved with Future of Ghana If you’d like to get involved in any capacity, we’d love to hear from you! Please note, formal roles within the core delivery team will be advertised on our website here: www.futureofghana.com To find out more and/or make a donation on our website www.futureofghana.com/donate or contact us using the details below.
Contact details Registered address: Future of Ghana, 1-4 Kings Parade, Lower Coombe Street, Croydon, CR0 1AA E: info@futureofghana.com Follow us on social media:
To subscribe to our newsletter please email: info@futureofghana.com
All content © Future of Ghana 2021 | Images supplied by Future of Ghana, individual sources are stated in the report | Design and layout by Samuel Mensah-Bonsu, Creative Director, Future of Ghana
