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The UK- Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC), a member-based trade association that promotes trade between the UK and Ghana, has hosted a networking reception as part of activities to launch its Grand Challenge Programme.
The reception, held at the British High Commissioner to Ghana’s residence, had in attendance key stakeholders from the Ghana and United Kingdom governments, including Ghana’s Minister of Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Honourable Samuel Nartey George, and the Deputy British High Commissioner to Ghana, Keith McMahon (H.E) who launched the Programme.
The UKGCC Grand Challenge is a structured competition where innovators develop and propose technological, social, or financial solutions to address key challenges in Agriculture and Energy.
Participants will work alongside ministerial delegates, industry experts, and academia to define challenge statements that align with real-world sectoral needs.
Mr Sam Nartey George, Minister of Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations and Mr Keith McMahon, Deputy British High Commissioner to Ghana at the event
In a statement, the Executive Director of the UKGCC, Adjoba Kyiamah, indicated that the UKGCC Grand Challenge seeks to encourage and support innovation that addresses pressing national and sectoral challenges; and foster collaboration between researchers, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and the private sector.
She added that the programme further seeks to provide capacity-building and funding opportunities to innovators to refine and scale their solutions, as well as create a sustainable pipeline of investable, commercially viable, and impactful projects.
Speaking during the event, Honourable Samuel Nartey George commended the UKGCC for the Grand Challenge initiative, adding that it was a catalyst to drive innovation.
He remarked further, “I believe that there's a lot we can do when we have a framework for innovation and startups...the problem we have in Ghana is, there's a lot of innovative ideas but they don't go beyond academic pieces of paper. However, I think that what we can do with this platform is to give expression to innovative ideas and see how well we can use that to fix our national problem”.
Hon. Nartey George assured the UKGCC and the Grand Challenge Programme of his Ministry’s continued support towards deepening bilateral and multilateral relationships.
“The Ministry is very open and very welcoming to innovation and technology and so to the UKGCC team, you can always count on us if there's anything you need from the Ministry."
"Whoever wins the Challenge will be fixing a critical national need so we will work with the innovators, and we'll see how this process goes,” he stressed.
The reception is to be followed by two workshops and masterclasses in Accra and Kumasi respectively to introduce the programme, engage relevant stakeholders, and equip innovators with the necessary tools to participate effectively.
According to the UKGCC’s Senior Trade Services Manager and coordinator of the Grand Challenge programme, Shirgade Laryea, the workshops will be more than just a discussion.
“It is a working session designed to maximise applicants' success. Participants will be encouraged to connect with the people in the room, exchange ideas, refine their concepts, and take advantage of the expertise, resources, and masterclasses available to develop strong, competitive proposals for the Grand Challenge”, she stated.
The workshops will comprise panel discussions, masterclasses on intellectual property, investor readiness, and commercialisation; and live pitch sessions. Interested participants are encouraged to write to the UKGCC and register.
The UKGCC Grand Challenge falls under the Sankore Programme, a United Kingdom Government-backed initiative under the West Africa Research and Innovation Hub (WARIH). Sankore focuses on strengthening West African innovation systems and scaling impactful solutions in West Africa and beyond.
