Theme: Broadening the frontiers of education.

TEDxCapeCoastED would be held at the University of Cape Coast Campus on 31st August, 2013. The event is themed “broadening the frontiers of education”, and is aimed at aggregating the best ideas, projects and inputs needed to make education more responsive to Ghana’s needs.

The event is focused on creating a new platform to discuss how we can broaden educational opportunity, through the unique perspectives of each speaker. Attracting students, teachers, administrators, innovators, activists, parents and other education actors, TEDxCapeCoastED’s specific objectives are to:
- Diagnose challenges inherent in Ghana’s educational system and propose solutions to them
- Demonstrate new methods of sustaining student-teacher engagement in the classroom and beyond
- Showcase how technology and other innovative approaches are contributing to learning
- Map out the direction in which education in Ghana must take so as to foster national development
- Provoke participants to take action on an educational challenge or contribute to an ongoing solution
- Connect various actors in the educational space

In short TEDxCapeCoastED will create a fertile ground to re-think education in Ghana, challenging all major stakeholders to reflect on their role(s) to give our youth brighter prospects

Sasakawa Conference Room, UCC
Cape Coast
Ghana

Deborah Ahenkorah

Deborah Ahenkorah is the co-founder and executive director of Golden Baobab, a social enterprise whose vision is to present African children with a world filled with wonder and possibilities one African children's story at a time. Golden Baobab is renowned for its annual Golden Baobab Literary Prize. In the past four years, this literary award has inspired the creation of over 10 00 children and young adult stories from 19 African countries. Deborah has been named by the Echoing Green Fellowship as one of twenty-two of the most “game changing social innovators in the world today.” In 2011, she was identified by Playing for Change as one of Ghana’s leading social entrepreneurs working to make the world a better place for children and youth. Deborah studied political science at Bryn Mawr College and pursued her passion for global issues by gaining experience in the European Union Parliament and The Global Fund for Children. Deborah is a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum and a New Voices Fellow of the Aspen Institute.

Wilson Senya

Pastor Wilson Senya is a leading trainer and Speaker on Leadership and Entrepreneurship, a motivational Speaker,Entrepreneur, Author, Life Coach, business development coach and teacher of the gospel. He is also the founder of Born4xploits and president Wilson Senya World outreach ministries. Pastor Wilson, is the lead speaker and organizer of Success forum (a career guidance programme for senior high schools) and the Entrepreneurship Africa (a strategic entrepreneurship seminar). A graduate of the University of Ghana and Word of Faith Bible Inst. Pastor Wilson is a well sought speaker on radio and T.V on Entrepreneurship and Leadership. Pastor Wilson is the founder and head Pastor of Faith Life Missions Int., married to Kafui Senya, his passion is to help people discover their purpose, fulfill them and maximize their potentials.He has published two Books.

Anis Haffar

He attended Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast (Ghana); and California State University, Los Angeles. He did his graduate work at the School of Education, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona for a Licensed Teaching Credential in English. He started off professionally in the United States with the Los Angeles Unified School District where he taught English for 10 years, and coordinated a Gifted And Talented Education (GATE) program. He also taught English as Second Language (ESL) at the Dibble Adult School, USA. In Ghana, he founded the GATE Institute to develop Seminars for updating school proprietors, heads and teachers in current trends in Education with emphasis on Critical Thinking skills. He has designed and taught a number of Teacher Education workshops through various districts in Ghana, and also taught Leadership Seminars at Ashesi University. He has appeared on various TV and radio talk shows to share views on Quality Education, National and International Leadership roles and the Affective Competencies for the youth in Ghana. Mr Haffar is the author of two books: LEADERSHIP: Reflections on some movers, shakers and thinkers. MFANTSIPIM: The Makers of a Great School. He writes a column, Education Matters, for Ghana’s Daily Graphic, and The Weekend Globe.

Nana Kofi Acquah

Nana Kofi Acquah is a global citizen who traces his roots to Elmina. For two years, in his capacity as a member of the Derde Kamer, he lobbied Dutch and European politicians on the need for quality education in Africa, describing the current system as one that churns out “half-baked cakes”. Even though his two years as a teacher doesn’t show on his cv, he is passionate about quality education. Nana is mainly known as a storyteller, who expresses himself through photography and writing. His blog - A window to Ghana and Africa, is overall, an optimistic take on what life in Ghana and the rest of Africa looks and feels like. His work has been exhibited around the world, and published in Time Magazine, The Guardian, The financial Times, Arise, ZAM, among others. He’s a contributing member of the Instagram group- Everyday Africa

Kajsa Hallberg Adu

Mrs. Kajsa Hallberg Adu is an interdisciplinary academic with a strong foundation in research, liberal arts and community involvement. Since 2009, Kajsa is a lecturer at Ashesi University College in Accra, Ghana. She teaches English and Social Sciences. In the spring of 2010, she piloted Ashesi’s undergraduate adaption of Mary Gentile’s business ethics curriculum Giving Voice to Values in a group of 50 freshmen. Since then, she has been active in a working group which has developed and implemented a mandatory program for Ashesi’s students on ethics. Before joining the Ashesi community, Kajsa has worked in private sector in Ghana as well as within international organizations. In her native Sweden, she has experiences both from working as a research assistant at one of Sweden’s most prestigious universities, Uppsala University, and from teaching on lower levels. Kajsa studied communications at Reinhardt University, a liberal arts institution in Georgia, USA and international business at Sodertorn College in Stockholm, Sweden. She has a Masters Degree in Political Science from Uppsala University, Sweden and is currently enrolled in the PhD program at University of Ghana/Institute of African studies researching migration among Ghanaian university students. She blogs on kajsaha.com and is the founder of a Ghanaian network of bloggers, BloggingGhana

Samuel Yeboah Mensah

Prof. Samuel Yeboah Mensah, a physicist and the Dean of the School of Physical Sciences at the University of Cape Coast. His contribution to the world of science specifically Nanotechnology has earned him many awards notably: International Academic Leadership Award - NSBE, U.S.A. Best Scientist, Presidential Award 0 Government of Ghana. Outstanding Staff Award - University of Cape Coast, 50th Anniversary. [Prof. S.Y. Mensah]

Shaakira Raheem

Shaakira Raheem’s interests focus on international education and cross-cultural relations. She currently serves as an Education Advisor for EducationUSA at the US Embassy in Accra. She was previously the Student Affairs Coordinator for the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) Rabat and an English teacher at AMIDEAST Morocco. An advocate for international student mobility, she is the product of her work after studying abroad in Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine/Israel and the Dominican Republic through various fellowships and leadership programs. Her interests in education and identity through a lens of religion, language, class and race reflects through her research on North Africa and the African diaspora. She has developed a growing interest in communal education in immigrant communities. In 2011, Shaakira graduated from Kenyon College, where she studied International Studies and Islamic Cultures and Civilizations.