Our work so far: 2019-2020

March 2019

Our theme focused on exploring three topical question areas:

1. How do I find genuine volunteering or employment opportunities in Ghana? 2. What are the benefits of volunteering or working in Ghana? What does the process look like? 3. Should I return to Ghana or is it a temporary hype?

Speakers included: Rt Hon Diane Abbott, MP, Lexy Boahene, Founder of LXH Recruitment, Einstein Ntim, Founder of Ghana Tech Summit and Melissa Bediako, Groups Events Manager, Kempinski Ghana.

May 2019

We were delivery partners for AFFORD’s 3rd MultiStakeholder Forum in Ghana. This event focused on exploring, mobilising and building partnership between local authorities, Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs), Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and diaspora investors to channel diaspora resources towards sustainable local economic development and job and wealth creation. We held our annual forum at the House of Commons, London with the support of the Diane Abbott Foundation, 170 attendees and funding from MADE WA, ICMC and the European Union.

June 2019

Workshop series: The Future of the Creative Industry | Events Management Training; Enterprise in Ghana - From Talk to Action | A practical framework - Impact

Hub and British Council, Accra. We delivered a series of workshops led by Samuel Mensah-Bonsu (creative industry expert and Future of Ghana Creative Director), Nadu Placca (Founder, The Zoo XYZ Ltd) and the FOG Team respectively with funding from MADE WA, ICMC and the European Union. Samuel’s workshop focused on tools and tips to develop your personal brand and navigate the creative industry successfully. Nadu led training on effective events management. The final workshop focused on job creation and sought to understand the needs of small growing enterprises in Ghana and how Ghana-based professionals believed the diaspora could contribute to their growth.

We were invited to attend a consultative meeting to discuss a draft report by the Commonwealth Consultant on the State of Youth Development in Ghana as part of the review of Ghana's 2010 National

Youth Policy. The report involved a stakeholder mapping and centres on 5 domains namely education, health and well-being, employment and opportunity, civic participation, and political participation. We were asked to review and make inputs into a new report which would inform the development of a new fit-for purpose national youth policy. Recommendations from our own 2018 research report were included in the final consultation report and fed into the overall policy.

The HACSA Summit – 400 years on. We partnered with HACSA on their international summit held at Kempinski Hotel, Ghana, to discuss legacy, communities and innovation as we commemorated the 400-year anniversary of the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade.

October 2019

Volunteering Programme Fundraising Event. Our team ran a fundraiser for approximately. 50 attendees to learn more about our Volunteer Programme in Ghana and how they can get involved. We also sought donations to support two schools in Ghana and their students with resources.

October 2019

Next Generation Leadership Programme (funded by

the National Lottery Community Fund). The NGLP programme was designed to expose young people to potential pathways for their future careers whilst equipping them with transferable skills to help them advance within a competitive society thereby improving their academic engagement and achievement

FOG Volunteering Programme 2019. 2019’s theme was Pathways to Success and education being fun and meaningful. We also partnered with Future Stars, a sports education charity who delivered one of our sessions.

The 2019 volunteer programme brought together 43 volunteers who contributed 774 hours of volunteering over two days delivering skills exchange programme to 99 marginalised children in 2 schools in Tema, Ghana.

December 2019

FOG x HACSA: Forum, Fundraiser and Q&A with

James Barnor. A celebration and conversation with Ghana’s living legend, the iconic, celebrated, awardwinning, pioneering photographer James Barnor whose career spans 6 decades.

Mr. Barnor, our Patron, shared his pictorial journey and life experiences describing life in the Gold Coast, Ghana and 1960’s Britain through images he captured of everyday life, fashion and culture at home and in the diaspora with host, HACSA’s Founder & President, Ambassador Johanna Svanikier and the audience

We co-authored the “Impact and Recommendations

from the MADE West Africa Programme: Emerging Themes in Migration and Development in an Era of

COVID-19" report and our CEO presented this report during a roundtable meeting in Brussels. This report highlights lessons learned from the MADE West Africa project activities which can be applied to migration and development during and postCOVID-19. Our inputs focused on amplifying the voice, perspectives and contributions of youth and ensuring their inclusion as key stakeholders.

February 2020

Next Generation Leadership Programme (NGLP)

Celebration. We invited the 2019 cohort, their families and friends, and our partners to celebrate and recognise our participants.

The NGLP celebration event and forum was hosted by the Diane Abbott Foundation, engaged inspirational keynote speakers and a panel of special guests who shared their career journeys, inspirational stories and advice with our audience.