Award-winning Ghanian journalist, Justice Baidoo has been named among the top 40 leaders for the African-German Young Leaders in Business (AGYLE) programme, 2022.
The African-German leadership programme brings together professionals from varied fields ranging from media to start-ups engaged in innovations aimed at fighting climate change.
With over 200 applicants, this year’s edition featured only 40 outstanding personalities selected from Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Tunisia, as well as Germany and Ghana’s Justice Baidoo. The core theme for this year’s edition is ‘Green innovation – young leaders tackling climate change’.
The selected participants will engage in a digital session that would bring ideas from Africa and Germany together to help solve the shared challenges between Africa and Germany which is Europe’s largest economy.
The programme would bring together a select group of participants in Berlin and Germany for physical engagement to carry the ideas from the digital week forward whiles also fostering business and professional networking. The new cohort of business leaders will focus especially on shaping innovative ideas and concepts to address the climate crisis.
Chief Executive Officer of Germany-Land of Idea, Ute Weiland said Africa has moved into focus as a strategic partner and has thus become necessary to partner young African leaders with innovative minds to help tackle issues such as climate change.
“In view of global challenges, such as tackling climate change, overcoming pandemics or extracting alternative raw materials, Africa has increasingly moved into focus as a strategic partner. Creative exchange and in-depth cooperation between young leaders from Africa and Germany are thus a real investment in the future,” she said.
Justice Baidoo expressed his delight at his selection, stressing that it will provide a platform for learning new ideas that will be passed down to future generations. “Germany is the home of ground-breaking ideas for growth. It is a rare privilege to be part of this team of leaders.I am hoping that being on this programme would give me the advantage to tap into the opportunities that the German-Ghana partnership presents to benefit the work that I do and for the many young people that I mentor,” he said.
Acting Director of the Agency for Business & Economic Development (AWE), Almuth Dörre, said: “AGYLE is building a bridge across the Mediterranean Sea by connecting promising young talent from Africa and Germany to facilitate economic exchange and develop innovative project ideas.
The challenges of recent years have taught us that we need to collaborate more closely. Today, we can see how important it is to support each other with our respective strengths and to learn from each other’s experience – and this is exactly what the AGYLE network is all about,” he added.
The exclusive event week will focus on interdisciplinary exchange and networking, professional motivation and cross-border cooperation among the young leaders. The centerpiece of the joint week will be a virtual design thinking lab that will enable mixed teams to develop and refine their ideas and prototypes for new business models.
The most promising idea will be awarded a prize by the jury in a final event: a professional coaching to take their idea to the next level. The programmeof events also includes virtual discussion rounds as well as inspiring talks and cultural activities.
