Story By: Rahamatu-Lahi Zakaria || Sanatu Zambang
Northern Innovation Lab in partnership with Ghana Tech Lab held a consultative stakeholder meeting in Walewale on Thursday, 15th April 2021 to discuss the challenges that entrepreneurs face and come out with solutions for the ecosystem.
The consultative stakeholder meeting brought together, chiefs, business owners, duty bearers, and other interested partners to discuss the digital ecosystem in Walewale that will be put into a policy brief. The policy brief will be presented to all stakeholders to commit to and help in solving the issues and implementing the suggestions made by all the stakeholders.
During an interview with Sanatu Zambang, the co-founder of Northern Innovation Lab, Mr. Alfred John Opoku revealed that this consultative stakeholder meeting will be replicated in 15 tech hubs across the country in partnership with Ghana Tech Lab. The purpose is to understand the ecosystem, the challenges, and the way forward.
He also reiterated Northern Innovation Lab mandate of been the drivers of digital technology development and empowering the people in the North East region. One of the stakeholders they will be working with is the chiefs. According to Mr. Alfred, the chiefs are interested in digital media and also to reduce employment in their communities.
On why the need to organize this consultative stakeholder meeting, Mr. Baako, another co-founder of Northern Innovation Lab explained how Ghana Tech Lab came up with the national ecosystem mapping last year and it is continuing this year to update the existing information. The idea of collecting the information and data he says ‘’we want people to be part in deciding and coming up with policies or decisions that affect the ecosystem which they ready live in’’.
The consultative stakeholder meeting was not just to have discussions and come out with a policy brief but also to have stakeholders commit to making a change in the ecosystem in the community.
Mr. Bako took the opportunity to thank their Partners, Ghana Tech Lab, UNDP Ghana, and impact for their unwavering support to them since from the beginning they started Northern Innovation Lab in Walewale in the North East region. He also talked about Northern Innovation Lab unwavering support to building a digitalized technology environment in the region.
