Back to Ghana

Earlier this month we travelled to Ghana in order to initiate the legal registration process of our regional office and make updates to our partners and stakeholders on the ground. 

The trip was a resounding success, due in large part to the incredible help we have received from our friends in the Embassy of Denmark, our partners and the many other Ghanaian supporters of the GRC mission. It’s heartwarming to receive the ongoing support of Naja Møller Jørgensen, Head of Trade at the Danish Embassy in Ghana, who has been on our side since the early days. We also where very much encouraged by the interest shown by our new ambassador, Tom Nørring, in supporting our business development. 

Meeting old and new friends
Whilst in Accra we had a chance to catch up with another keen GRC ambassador, the Ghana radio and music superstar Dj Black. If you have been following our story you might have noticed Dj Black pop up a few times before (he’s on our advisory board and dropped in on our recent design workshop to offer some words of encouragement to our group).

We are cooking up some really exciting plans with Dj Black which we hope to formally announce very soon, but let’s just say he is lending his top-tier media expertise to our plans to create a truly talent-shaping media training programme that will be unparalleled in this side of the world.

In Accra we also had a surprise encounter that we hope might also lead to another incredible partnership. We met with Thomas Mensah, a world renowned engineer regarded as “The Engineer who Revolutionised the Internet” due to his role in the invention of fiber optic technology. In recent years he is known for founding the Silicon Valley of Ghana (SVG),  a company “that focuses on accelerating Ghana’s Technology divide through collaborations and building requisite employable skills for the youth.”  

We were both excited by the potential synergy of our company’s visions, and the potential for partnership between GRC and SVG. It is too early to say what will come of such a partnership, but needless to say we are very enthusiastic about the potential ramifications that could come from having a globally exalted scientist of his calibre on board.

Returning to Bompata
Our trip offered us a long awaited opportunity to physically check in with our partners in Bompata, the location in which we will build the very first of our 200 River Centers.

Our engagement with the Paramount Chief and the traditional council primarily took the form of presenting them with updates on our new architecture designs (see below) and sharing the results of our recently conducted feasibility study (more on this later). With this coordination now under our belt, we are delighted to be entering the planning phase of our Bompata activities.

A first visit to Wenchi
After visiting Bompata we had an opportunity to check in on a new location that might serve as the next Ghanaian River Center location. Wenchi is a town in the Bono Region of Ghana with a population of almost 40,000 people.

Whilst there we met with the town chief to discuss the allocation of land and also had the opportunity to meet with a local business that serves as a perfect example of the type of company we are seeking to partner with. This company, Amya Agro Plus, is a cassava processing plant (read this to get an insight into how important cassava is in Ghana). With their business they generate employment, resources and practical capacity building for youth. We could both see the potential for a mutually enhancing partnership and are keen to take the next steps.