March 19, 2016 - In partnership with the GhanaThink Foundation, Ashesi hosted a Barcamp Ghana event under the theme “Design thinking as the hope for Africa's growth and development.” The workshop saw a cross-section of professionals and students participating in sessions aimed at employing design thinking principles to solve problems in our local context.
Barcamp Ghana is run by the GhanaThink Foundation, an NGO based both in Ghana and the USA. BarCamps are events which bring together young leaders in various fields to mentor and network with students. Barcamp Ghana events are organized to forge networking, discussion, partnerships and change. The goal is to help Ghanaians learn about the issues that affect them, generate ideas for development, network and partner with others who have similar interests and improve or start businesses and projects.
This is the second time that Ashesi has hosted a BarCamp in the last three years. The focus this year was on Engineering and Design in Africa. “Barcamp Ashesi assembled so many important people in the design space,” said Ato Ulzen Appiah, Director of the GhanaThink Foundation. “It helped attendees understand the importance of design and design thinking in architecture, construction, agriculture, technology and business in general.”
The workshop involved a series of breakout, practical and open sessions led by professionals across various industries. Through these, participants were able to gain an appreciation for setbacks within the agricultural, power, finance and leadership sectors while employing design thinking in trying to come up with solutions for problems inherent within the sectors. Participants also had the opportunity to create and visualize their solutions using 3D printers, building of circuits and also computer programming.
“It was a very productive day, given that the grand ideas that were discussed during the speed mentoring sessions were balanced nicely with practical sessions that showcased the “doing” part of Design Thinking and Engineering,” said Dela Kumahor of Cobalt Partners. “I would imagine that participants walked away with that little bit more confidence and a better sense of how to make things happen in the world around them.”
In the end participants were able to gain a breadth of knowledge in new and innovative ways of addressing long-standing problems within our communities, while fostering strong networks. “I strongly believe Barcamp Ashesi would impact many of the attendees who kept to their circles by encouraging them to network and share more,” said Ato Ulzen Appiah.