The second IDEONOMICS forum staged by youth business and community development oriented organization the No Business As Usual Hub came off at the Asokore Mampong municipality challenging youth in the area to take active interest in the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The ideas for a thriving local economy sessions dubbed the Ideonomics is a platform adopted by the No Business as Usual Hub to empower youth in the Asokore Mampong Municipality to think outside the box and begin creating their own future through problem solving and decisive actions.
The second of its kind dubbed the IDEONOMICS 102 took a rather global approach exposing graduates in the municipality to the United Nations Strategic Development Goals and what opportunities it presents for today’s young people.
The United Nations sustainable development goals comes across as the new direction countries around the world are taking to make the world a better place.
Its SEVENTEEN (17) ideals cut across education, health, gender, security, environmental protection, disability and good governance.
The forum empanelled young achievers who don’t only have acumen for business but are crafting their businesses to solve problems spelt out in the UNSDGs.
One of such persons is Rhonda Boateng CEO and co-founder of Solstice Foundation and Ilera Innovation.
Her organizations are using technology to bring the SDGs to bear on healthcare, gender issues and economic wellbeing of her target clients.
“For Solstice foundation and *Kumasi Social*, we were founded on the basis of SDG 8 WHICH IS TO PROMOTE decent work and economic growth. We are empowering traders in the Kumasi central market to use social media to market their products to improve their revenues and their digital literacy.”
“On the other end, with Ilera Foundation, we are pushing more for SDG 3 which is to ensure healthy lives and wellbeing. We are looking at finding solutions to common day problems whether it is prevention of communicable and non communicable diseases and getting the information you need to take care of yourself in dire straits,” she explained.
Another panel member Nasif Dawda CEO and co founder of agro concept an agric input and marketing institution has also aligned his business models to the SDGs.
He told Ultimate News, “At Agroconnect, we connect small holder farmers to ready markets using technology and we also empower small holder farmers to adopt world class smart agricultural policies. Our work is aligned to three Sustainable Development Goals along the value chain and these are the first goal which is no poverty, the second one which is zero hunger and the last is the thirteenth goal which is climate action,”
At the end of the sessions, participants of the IDEONOMICS were tasked to come out with business driven solutions and social interventions to help solve some local problems stated in the United Nations SUSTAINABLE GOALS.
The participants who interacted with Ultimate News’ Ivan Heathcote – Fumador admitted that their exposure to the SDGs has transformed their way of thinking towards addressing local challenges in their communities with a global mindset.
Sefiatu Ishmael was particularly excited about education, gender issues and sanitation even though she was a bit skeptical about the goal of the SDG to eradicate extreme poverty.
Even with the millennium development goals, they were not so successful and these SDGs were introduced to address the issues. I think if we work harder towards achieving it, we can get somewhere,” she shared.
Abass Isa, a graduate living in the municipality also noted, “When I heard about the SDG today it has already put me to task to scan around for problems and try to do something about it. I realized it isn’t just about the direct cash benefits but it should be solving the problem and seeing it reflect back at you.”
Programs manager in charge of social businesses AND private Partnerships at the NBU hub Daniel Okiti Boamah expressed need for the nation to take keen interest in ensuring that youth are not left behind as the nation strives to achieve its targets set out in the Strategic Development goals.
“These youth are out there and looking for opportunities just to make it in life. Why not expose them to these SDGs intended to address problems which also have business ideas imbedded in them.”
He was positive the No Business As Usual Hub through the forum has succeeded in getting the youth to feed into the global developmental agenda to impact their local communities.
It also forms part of the mandate of the NBU HUB to develop the capacity of the youth of the municipality and to develop the local economy of Asokore Mampong.
By: Ghana/Ultimatefmonline.com/106.9FM/Ivan Heathcote-Fumador
The post NBU IDEONOMICS 102 challenges youth to take critical stake in UN SDGs appeared first on Ultimate FM.
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