Education · Godfred Anku Kaali
Nkabom Collaborative empowers students to transform agricultural ideas into businesses
Students from five Ghanaian tertiary institutions under the Nkabom Collaborative have participated in a networking session at the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) in Somanya to exchange ideas, explore partnerships and transform agricultural innovations into viable products and businesses.
The Student Networking Day brought together young innovators to showcase agro-based products and ideas, exchange knowledge, build professional networks and receive feedback to improve their solutions.
The event, organised by the Nkabom Collaborative - UESD on the sidelines of the university’s Sixth Sustainable Development Conference, also provided opportunities for students to connect with mentors and explore ways to complement one another’s work.
The Nkabom Collaborative is a ten-year initiative involving six Ghanaian tertiary institutions, UESD, Ashesi University, Koforidua Technical University (KTU), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the University of Ghana (UG), and the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), together with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and McGill University in Canada.
With support from the Mastercard Foundation, the initiative seeks to create dignified and fulfilling employment opportunities in Ghana’s agriculture sector for 55,000 young people by 2030, with particular emphasis on women and other vulnerable groups.
The Education Lead of the Nkabom Collaborative at UESD, Prof. Richard Amfo-Otu, said the initiative is intended to help students move beyond the idea stage and develop prototypes that could eventually be commercialised.
He said the networking platform will enable students working in areas including agriculture, agro-processing and nutrition to share ideas, receive guidance from mentors and refine their products.
“We want to give them the opportunity to share and then we make input into their ideas so that they can refine them and see how they can move from the idea state to creating prototypes that can be developed further as products that we can showcase,” he said.
Prof. Amfo-Otu said viable businesses emerging from the initiative will receive further support, including equipment, as they progress through an incubation process.
He added that the ultimate goal of the Nkabom Collaborative is not simply to help young people develop ideas, but to support them to turn those ideas into viable businesses capable of creating jobs.
Students from five of the six Ghanaian tertiary institutions participating in the Nkabom Collaborative presented agricultural ideas, products and solutions they had developed or were working on.
Participants engaged in discussions, asked questions and provided constructive feedback on the ideas presented during the session.
The networking session was complemented by the Nkabom Collaborative - UESD Agri-Food Systems Business Fair, which provided student and youth-led businesses with a platform to exhibit their products and innovations.
The fair featured products developed through the processing of agricultural produce, as well as the conversion of agricultural waste into value-added products.
Exhibited products included charcoal briquettes, powdered soup, drinks, cereals, creams, plant-based health products, and other agro-processed products, showcasing the innovative ways students are adding value to agricultural produce and waste.
The exhibition also provided young entrepreneurs with opportunities to engage potential customers, business partners and other stakeholders within the agri-food value chain.
The initiative forms part of efforts to equip young people with the skills, networks, mentorship and support needed to turn agricultural innovations into commercially viable enterprises capable of creating jobs and contributing to Ghana’s development.