Across Africa, there are countless young people with the potential for greatness who just need the right platform to succeed. At WeGo Innovate, we aim to be that platform, watering the seeds of their imagination to grow their brilliant ideas. Our goal is to inspire and share knowledge, nurture ideas and help young Africans innovate projects that will drive the development of their localities.
Germany-Ghana relations have existed since the first missionaries arrived in the Gold Coast. This relationship has metamorphosed into an all-encompassing friendship today as both states work towards securing mutual benefits in trade and in general development cooperation. Ghana remains a priority country of German bilateral development cooperation and assistance. Germany’s development cooperation with Ghana focuses on four priority areas, which are sustainable economic development, agribusiness, good governance, renewable energies and energy efficiency. The German-Ghana bond seeks to support Ghana’s ambitions towards private sector development, job creation for the youth and governance. The objective of this paper is to introduce our organization, WeGo Innovate, in terms of how we are working to help solve some of the difficulties Ghana faces concerning the development of adequate human resources for its sustainable development.
According to the Ghana Education Service report on Inspiring Science and Mathematics in Basic Schools, there is the critical need for an adequate and innovative human capacity to run the nation’s economy especially in the face of a plethora of problems. To address this we need to commit resources to sustain an analytical skilled youthful society, which would be critically minded, acquire digital literacy, develop creative and innovative skills and be ready to take risks. Education is a fundamental factor of development as no country can achieve its sustainable economic development targets without substantial investment in human capital. The benefits of education are numerous. Not only does education improve the quality of lives in societies, but it also raises productivity, promotes creativity, entrepreneurship and technological advancement. With a sound and viable education system, a country is sure to secure sustainable development, economic and social progress that improves livingstandards and income distribution of its population.3WeGo Innovate seeks to contribute its quota towards developing an efficient and innovative human capital for Ghana’s development through its GH4STEM initiative. Our GH4STEM campaign aims at transforming the delivery of and access to STEM education to every Ghanaian child as well as promote lifelong learning. GH4STEM is designed to spark the interest of Ghanaian students, teachers and the public in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. It brings education stakeholders (i.e. teacher associations, government and education-centered non-profits) together across sectors to demystify the teaching and learning of STEM. It uses televised and social media to bring innovative work to the public in a way that creates behavioral changes and discourse in schools and other informal educational spaces.
A German partnership will immensely buttress and boost our practical STEM agenda and community-focused problem-solving objective of our organizations as this provide us with access to valuable expertise for example, the International Centre for STEM Education, the research centre at the University of Education in Freiburg. Also, a German partnership will provide the needed funding opportunities and opportunities for intercultural exchange. At WeGo Innovate and GoGive Time, we are confident that our activities have a role to play in contributing to the ambitions of a Germany-Ghana development cooperation particularly, the overall priority of securing sustainable economic development. We also believe that the needed education style (practical STEM education) and the development of qualified human resources can contribute to securing progress on this priority in Ghana. We also acknowledge that German development cooperation requires the interaction of different spheres of society; this includes Government, society and the private sector. As private sector organizations, we are of the opinion that our ideals and targets at WeGo Innovate and GoGive Time align with German development cooperation principles; while simultaneously address the pressing needs of Ghanaian society.
Charles S. Agbemashior, founder
About the organisation
WeGo Innovate and GoGive Time are two social enterprises founded and operating in Ghana that cultivate the skills and networks of everyday citizens to address social needs in culturally relevant ways. WeGo Innovate is an edutech platform that collaborates with Ghanaian schools and other stakeholders to transform educational content into fun, interactive, low-tech tools for students regardless of their degree of access to resources.
About the author by the author
I am an entrepreneur and creative solutionist who is most passionate about advancing
sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa by connecting with like-minded people and
cultivating the enormous creative and innovative potential inherent in communities across the
Continent. A divergent thinker and problem-solver by nature, my strengths include concept and
content creation, design thinking, prototyping, user experience design, creative direction and
production. With extensive experience in media, the perfoming arts, applied technology and
corporate branding, my unique combination of skills allows me to analyze challenges and
develop solutions that are fiscally sound and socially responsible, optimizing benefits for all
stakeholders.
I believe deeply in the power of storytelling to connect people, amplify challenges and facilitate
cooperative problem solving. I also believe that when Africans work together and embrace
innovation and reponsible leadership, we are most qualified to effectively address Africa's most
complex challenges: job creation, expanding access to high-quality education and health care,
increasing food security and protecting the environmental. My production company, Think Active
Media (TAM), and its subsidiaries (e.g. WeGo Innovate, Notion Africa, GoGive Time and
CarryGo Farm) use media and applied technology to advance this work.
To create far-reaching and lasting change, I have learned that creative partnership and effective
collaboration are critical. I am dedicated to the practice of identifying partners with shared goals
and complementary skills and experiences. The partnerships I have built with dedicated
professionals at Ghana Association Of Science Teachers (GAST), Ghana STEM Network,
GHscientific, the Exploratory and The Writers Project Ghana have positioned me to work with
stakeholders across the national, regional and district level of Ghana, producing winning
outcomes for everyone.
