BarCamp Accra 2023 has held its annual flagship networking and mentorship programme at the Accra Technical University (ATU).
The event aims to bridge the gap between the youth and their mentors. It created an enabling atmosphere and platform for the youth to interact with their mentors. A segment of the event dubbed “Speed Mentoring” presented young people the opportunity to have a one-on-one chat with mentors from diverse fields of studies ranging from communication, digital marketing, financing, Data Science, Health, Research, content creation among others.
During this session, participants were privileged to have access to over 40 mentors who shared their knowledge and expertise in their respective fields with their mentees.
“What we are having currently doing is the speed mentoring session where we have over 40 mentors in this room where every attendee has at least eight minutes to speak to on specific topics. So, we have mentors on finance, innovation, data science, artificial intelligence, clean air, engineering, pharmacy and others,” Team Lead for BarCamp Accra, Bright Atsu Agbetsise , explained.
He added that the mentor and mentee relationship sometimes travels beyond the event where a lasting relationships are created to shape and prepare the mentees for higher heights.
Additionally, the 2023 BarCamp Accra which marks the twelfth BarCamp and the final one for the year also created an avenue for participants to network with each other and also have a thoughtful and meaningful discussions on various topics of interests.
BarCamp Accra is an annual gathering of innovators, entrepreneurs, tech enthusiasts and thought leasers coming together to share insights, collaborate on projects and advance the development of Accra and beyond.
Commenting on the theme for the event “Innovation, Quality and Finance”, Mr. Agbesti said for individual businesses to thrive, it is imperative to prioritise quality products and innovation adding that all these cannot be actualized without access to finance hence the need to educate and expose the youth to avenues for funding and finance to strengthen and expand their businesses.
Some mentors present at the event included broadcast journalist and Head of Research at Citi FM/Citi TV Nathan Quao; Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Yvonne Gyefour; Public Speaking Coach, Yaa Sarpoma; Clean Air Fund Country Lead-Ghana, Desmond C. Appiah and others.
Director of Projects at Ghana Think, Nehemiah Attigah, is optimistic that with the knowledge acquired and connections created at the end of the programme, they would be able to build an empowered community of young people who are desirous of changing the trajectory of the country.
Highlighting the significance of the event, he said: “BarCamp is a place where you could meet your business partner; you can move your idea from just concept to actualisation because you may meet people who are either doing things you can leverage or partnerships you can build on to bring your ideas to fruition”.
Participants described the event as a great opportunity to explore and learn from experts by tapping into their knowledge.
A mentor at the event, Doris Anson-Yevu, shared some observations she made while interacting with about eight youths: “People are hungry for success. The country is tough but no one is setting down idle or relying on government or family members to survive. Rather, they are taking ownership and chatting their path whether in career or entrepreneurship”.
