Partnering for Change was launched in Stockholm, Sweden in 2018 as a global initiative. Since then it has turned into an annual forum, with 10 editions in 4 cities in Europe and over 100 speakers. Reach for Change Ghana is proud to have organized the first African local edition of this game-changing initiative to foster cross-sector collaboration for social impact and to catalyse the work of local social entrepreneurs in Ghana.
The half-day event which was hosted by Bernard Avle, the Achorman of the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM, comprised speeches from the Country Manager of Reach for Change, Solomon Twum and the Global CEO of Reach for Change Sofia Breitholz, and a keynote speech read on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency - Mrs Kosi Yankey-Ayeh on the theme “Making Cross-Sector Collaboration Work for Social Impact”.
Dive into the atmosphere of the event with this video.
The speeches were followed by interactive panel discussions on fostering partnerships between sectors and building resilience in Ghana’s startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The speakers featured, among which include Anthonia Adenaya Huard, Regional Manager, West Africa - Business Sweden; Malgorzata Anna Pitura, Program Officer - Private Sector Development and Trade at the European Union; Charmaine Hayden, Fund Manager - GOODsoil VC; Benjamin Gyan-Kesse, Executive Director - Kosmos Innovation Center; Obeng Darko Ennin, Digital Economy Partner - Mastercard Foundation, and Amma Sefa-Dede Lartey, Chief Executive Office - Impact Investing Ghana.
Partnerships are essential if we are to fill critical gaps in the Enterprise support ecosystem. Reach for Change's pioneering role in contributing to the birth of key institutions like Social Enterprise Ghana and Impact Investing Ghana has laid a strong foundation for ecosystem partnerships. We look forward to seeing these partnerships leading to increased financing and a growing pipeline of businesses who have both strong financial performance and positive impact.
As part of the event, Reach for Change Ghana celebrated over a decade of impact in Ghana by awarding four of the most successful local Change Leaders. This includes Hayford Siaw, the CEO of the Ghana Library Authority, Cecilia Fiaka, the Founder of Nneka Youth Foundation, Alice Amoako, the Founder of the Autism Ambassadors Ghana, and Josephine Marie Godwyll and Martin Bruce, Co-founders of Young At Heart. With a set of other Change Leaders, Reach for Change Ghana told their stories in a photo exhibition.
We are in the business of supporting entrepreneurs and the reason we do is that we want to reduce poverty and inequality, and we also want to create jobs for the youth. This is something that no organisation can do on its own, so we find that forums like Partnering for Change - where different sectors come together, align on their visions and combine their strengths - are much needed.
The Partnering for Change event in Accra was a focal point in Reach for Change's efforts to develop the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Ghana. The organization will continue to explore synergies for collective impact with local and international venture capitalists and philanthropists, impact investors, entrepreneurship hubs, and policymakers.
For more information about this press release and Partnering for Change Ghana, please contact Andrews Akoto-Addo on +233270007570 or [email protected]
