From nearly 7000, applications and nominations from 150 countries, Mathias was the only African and Ghanaian student selected.

He pushed through to the top 50 finalists and is now part of the top 10 finalists.

The annual $100,000 prize is given to a student who has made significant academic progress and improved society and the lives of their peers.

Mathias was shortlisted for making a real impact on learning, the lives of his peers, and on society.

During the pandemic, Mathias pioneered the development of a disability-friendly virtual learning platform for hearing impaired students to study during school closures, directly impacting the lives of 250 deaf high school students in Ghana.

In creating community impact and strengthening food systems in local communities, Mathias launched AkoFresh to reduce post-harvest losses.

Mathias’s innovation is a mobile solar-powered cold storage preservation technology that extends the shelf life of perishable crops from five days to 21 days; therefore reducing losses by 50%.

The solution is reducing post-harvest losses, alleviating poverty, and improving nutrition.

There will be only one winner from the top 10 finalists. The winner announcement will take place ending of September during UN General Assembly week in New York.

“Since its launch last year, the Global Student Prize has given incredible students all over the world a chance to share their stories, connect with each other, and reach influencers in education and beyond. Now, more than ever, students deserve to have their stories told and their voices heard. After all, we need to harness their dreams, their insights, and their creativity to tackle the daunting and urgent challenges facing our world.” Dan Rosensweig, CEO of Chegg.

The other top 10 finalists for the Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2022 are Alesyah Asa, from Malaysia; Anagha Rajesh, from India; Gitanjali Rao, from the US; Igor Klymenko, from Ukraine; Kenisha Arora, from Canada; Lucas Tejedor, from Brazil; Maya Bridgman, from the UAE; Nathan Nguyen, from Australia; and Nicolás Alberto Monzón, from Argentina.

The Varkey Foundation partnered with Chegg.org to launch the $100,000 Global Student Prize in 2021, a sister award to its $1 million Global Teacher Prize.

It was established to create a powerful new platform that shines a light on the efforts of extraordinary students everywhere, who together, are reshaping the world for the better.

The prize is open to all students who are at least 16 years old and enrolled in an academic institution or training and skills program. Part-time students as well as students enrolled in online courses are also eligible for the prize.

Chegg.org is the impact, advocacy, and research arm of Chegg: addressing the issues facing the modern student.

Students applying for the Global Student Prize will be assessed on their academic achievement, impact on their peers, how they make a difference in their community and beyond, how they overcome the odds to achieve, how they demonstrate creativity and innovation, and how they operate as global citizens.

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Karen-Happuch was part of the animators selected to represent Ghana at the just-ended Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.

She attended Wesley Girls’ High School where she studied Visual Arts and further went to National Film and Television Institution, Accra Ghana to study Animation.

On her career journey, she has worked on portraits, animated ads, digital illustrations, explainer videos on commission, and animated series for kids in collaboration with shine kid’s devotional. She has also worked on personal short animated film projects.

She says her animation skills grew out of her love for drawing and painting at a young age.

“I love painting, there’s something unexplainably relaxing about painting. The empty canvas, the apron, the easel, mixing paints, each brush stroke, and finally the excitement and satisfaction of seeing your imagination come alive. It’s just priceless.” She said

She also revealed one of her biggest challenges is being a female in a male-dominated industry.

“I was the only girl in my class and in the first studio I worked with, I always had to try so hard to fit in.” And when I started my own studio, getting people to collaborate on projects have been challenging.

It’s always as though my talent, skill set, and expertise aren’t enough. I always have to put in extra work to fit in.

According to data from the Women in Animation (WIA), as of 2019, the number of female executives in animation rose to more than half, and 39% in TV. However, female directors make up 3% for animated films, while women of color make up only 1%.

She expressed appreciation to the France Embassy in Ghana for giving her the opportunity to be part of the Ghanaian representatives at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.

“Being part of the Annecy Animated film festival was a great experience and my passion for animation was rekindled.

“It was an inspiring experience, meeting so many people from all over the world. I was exposed to diverse animation styles and new ways of telling stories.

The young creative is also confident about the future of the Animation industry in Ghana.

“Someone once asked me, “is there even an animation industry in Ghana? Yes! There is, we aren’t many but y’all should watch out for the Ghanaian Animation Industry.”

For her future plans, she said “It is my dream to see my studio expand to the level where I can employ so many animators and artists, provide good working conditions and befitting salaries. Many talented artists are unemployed, the few who are, are underpaid.”

Karen-Happuch is also passionate about women empowerment; and looks forward to supporting young girls through education and inspiring young female creatives.

She is open to collaborations, investors, contracts, and other creative opportunities.

The young talent is currently studying Computer Science at the University of the People and simultaneously pursuing another degree in IT at Ghana Communication Technology University.

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This event was done in honour of Tyra Rickia Lindsay, (La’kisha Bey’s daughter) who passed away last year.

It was a sporting event intended to showcase the talents and skills of some of these kids despite their challenges.

Over 200 students and 20 teachers attended the event. Varieties of games best known to the school were played accordingly; egg and spoon( instead of lime and spoon). The reason for the change in this game is to allow the students to enjoy the boiled egg after the game, be it a winner or loser.

The next game was “tug of peace,” a game meant to teach the kids how to live in harmony regardless of the competition in the game. The children took turns in playing these based on gender and names of houses/ dormitories.

It was so much fun watching the blind play soccer and scoring goals. The skills they displayed were enormous and to have every player on that pitch safe without any injury after the match was incredible.

The favourite game which was lastly played is the ”Goal ball.” It’s a game played in blindfolds on a special carpet. Each team uses their hand to play the ball, alternating the rolling of the ball from one to the other, while staying in the area of their own goal.

Silence is key in this game since it involves ear-hand coordination, and listening to the sound of the whistle/ bell to detect the position and movement of the ball.

It’s a very interesting game and everyone especially the group from Scoop of Africa loved it. Every child was served scoops of ice cream after the games and the winning houses received awards for participating and winning.

Right after, the team announced the commencement of Martial Arts Training with the children in loving memory of Tyra.

The training will equip these kids with skills in martial arts, a sport Tyra loved dearly it was her solace.

The kids expressed their sincerest gratitude to the family of Tyra through various performances like singing and rapping.

The Dj for the event was a visually impaired student and it was a delight to watch him mix tunes and give everyone a good time on the dance floor. Everyone took to the park to dance.
History was made that day.

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Nigerian kids ‘Ikorodu Bois’ get Hollywood invite after recreating movie trailer

The Nigerian kids famous for remaking multimillion-dollar music videos and movie trailers with household items may be heading to Hollywood.

We so much love this movie and we hope @chrishemsworth and @netflix sees this remake, pls retweet pic.twitter.com/x47h9UV9Sz

— ikorodu bois (@IkoroduB) June 24, 2020

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Even more surprising, to some, was Ford’s reason: the shooting death of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

The incident, which set off protests across the United States, was a tipping point for the 30-year-old Ford and her relationship with the country of her birth.

“Mike Brown got shot and it just put this huge distaste in my mouth for, like, the country and the flag and what it means to be American and representing the American flag,” Ford says. “I felt very detached from that identity. I felt very excluded.”

While that feeling was certainly shared by many across the country, Ford is part of a small but growing group of black Americans who have become so fed up with racism in the United States that they have decided to move to Africa.

“I remember a moment. I remember sitting on my bed and visualizing like … a transition,” Ford recalls. “You know that image of Mike Brown with the blood, and he was just [lying] there [in the street]?

The animation in my mind was like he rose with that blood and turned into water, and I floated back. Well, I didn’t float back, but basically I use that blood in the water to get back to Africa.”

Four years later, Ford sits in a trendy hotel bar in Accra, the capital of Ghana, a small coastal nation in West Africa. As dusk settles, she sips water after a long day of work while other patrons laugh and catch up with friends.

A communications professional with a background in finance and international relations, Ford once dreamed of serving as a foreign diplomat, but she soured on the idea of representing the United States abroad.

Instead, she came here and set up her own business, Ford Communications, a strategic communications and public relations boutique. Ford found a niche servicing Ghana’s booming tech industry.

The daughter of Jamaican immigrants who moved to the United States in the 1980s, Ford spent her formative years in East Orange, New Jersey. Those years were tough but grounded in the American dream. “I never knew we were poor,” she says. “I had everything that I needed.” She excelled at academics, receiving a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College and a master’s from American University. Internships took her to places like China, South Africa, and Ghana, which she first visited in 2008.

“I had the time of my life, and I felt more [at] home here than I ever did in the States and Jamaica,” she recalls. “It was just this really weird internal experience that was just like … peace.” She returned in the summer of 2013, during graduate school, to work for the United Nations information center in Accra, and again in 2014, as a Boren Fellow.

The next year, after her vision following the Michael Brown incident, she decided to try moving to Ghana, despite having no job or prospects lined up — a decision that did not sit well with her family.

“Americans, you know how people think about Africa,” she says. “They think it’s all jungles, people living in trees. It’s so crazy how that narrative has survived.”

Now, Ford works with firms like the financial tech company Mazzuma, which launched a cryptocurrency to make mobile payments easier, and the data mining company Viotech. She works out of a suburban coworking space, and after waking up at 5 a.m. to pray and meditate, she gets her emails done before driving off to meetings. Sometimes she jumps on a motorbike to avoid the snarl of cars that choke the city.

Source : The Week

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Across Africa, from the north of the Sahara to the West African coast sit many relics of the continent’s early interactions with Europe.

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Ghana’s Nabdam District, which is bordered on the north by Burkina Faso, and on the east by the Republic of Togo, is the least urbanized region in Ghana. Less than 16 percent of the population resides in urban areas, and about 28.5 percent of adults in the region are classified as illiterate. Additionally, 84.9 percent of the employed population is engaged in skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery occupations, and 50.3 percent of the population is self-employed.

Notably, nearly one-third of the local residents live approximately 15 miles from the closest hospital, and the students at the Girls Model School travel a minimum of 9.3 miles each day, on foot, to and from school. Also notable is the fact that, in Nabdam, the proportion of males who have attended schools is consistently higher than that, for females, at all levels.

A UNICEF report on the impact that bicycles have for school-aged Ghanaian girls, found that 95 percent of rural girls attend school more regularly after having gained access to a bicycle, and 70 percent of those who received bicycles demonstrated higher academic performances, in their subsequent school work.

Commenting on the Nabdam District event, the Foundation’s executive director, Patricia Marshall Harris, stressed the important role GBBI CEO Bernice Dapaah, and her leadership of her Ghana-based company, with a predominately Ghanaian female workforce, can play in inspiring young women at the Girls Model School to achieve Ghana’s national aspirations for academic, economic and social advancement for women across the country.

“While Ghana continues to make impressive strides towards building a globally respected democracy and a strong sub-Saharan African economic profile,” said Ms. Marshall Harris, “we at ABCF and GBBI join Ghana’s government and economic leaders in recognizing  that the full realization of the country’s potential can only be achieved when Ghana’s young girls and women are provided improved access to educational opportunity, and are challenged to join as partners and leaders in all that the country wants to achieve.”

At the event, which was held at Kongo, in the Nabdam District, remarks were presented by Mr. Timothy Naasal Yuornuo, district director of education; by Kongo-Sapaat-Nab Namaalteng, chief of Kongo; by Mrs. Meiri Seidu, director, Health Directorate; and by Mr. Amos Agyapong, production manager, GBBI. The event, which also included a Girls Model School Cultural Display, was moderated by Mr. Francis Sapaat and the opening and closing prayers were offered by Rev. Martin, a Roman Catholic priest.

In his remarks, Mr. Sapaat, budget/NGO officer, Girls Model School, said, “The distribution of bicycles was timely considering the daily distance they cover to and from school. It is a high relief to pupils and parents, since students will now be early to school and back home.”

Who is ABCF?

The African Bicycle Contribution Foundation (ABCF) is a 501©3 non-profit corporation whose mission is to generate funding to underwrite the distribution of bicycles to under-resourced students, teachers, and transport-dependent small farmers and healthcare workers, in Ghana. The Corporation has made a commitment to finance the free distribution of 2500 bicycles in Ghana, over its first five years of operation.

ABCF works in partnership with the Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative, which produces the iconic Eco-Ride bamboo bicycle; the Bright Generation Community Foundation, the Respect Alliance, and the U.S.-Ghana Chamber of Commerce. Included among the foundation’s corporate and charitable non-profit sponsors are Independence Blue Cross, the Omega Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Dr. and Mrs. Colon A. Romero.

For further information about ABCF, please contact the ABCF offices: info@africanbike.org.

Contact: A. Bruce Crawley
African Bicycle Contribution Foundation
www.africanbike.org
Tel: 215-751-0140
Email: abcrawley@africanbike.org

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The Asanteman Association of Massachusetts, held a Kente Dinner Dance on Sat July 21, 2018. The event was held at the Armenian Cultural Center in Worcester.

The dress code as you can imagine was Ghana’s rich Kente cloth, as the event sort to exhibit the true richness of Ghana’s most famous fabric. Sitting in state, was Nana Brobbey Amankwatia Asotia, Asantehene of Worcester. He was flanked by Nana Akosua Dufie, the Asantefuohemaa of Worcester, and Nana Owusu Ntim, Akwamuhene of Worcester. Also in attendance was Nana Adu Opoku Onyame-Akoa, Asantefuohene of Cincinnati and Nana Addai Baffour, Asantefuohene of Chicago.

Ghana’s Highlife music legend, Nana Amakye Dede who is on tour in the USA, was the guest performer for the evening. The Chairman of the event was Dr. Anthony Kwasi Adade. The Co-Chair was Nana Akwasi Prempeh of New York. Nana Atta Yeboah of California, Nana Amponsah and Nana Sisire Nyantakyi of New York were all Special Guests for the event.

In his speech, the Chairman, Dr. Anthony Adade told the crowd that they were there not only to celebrate Kente, but to celebrate who they are as a people. He reminded them that while they celebrate, they should keep their cultural and economic wellbeing in mind. He told them that in order to safeguard their future and that of the next generation, he would appeal to Nananom and the leadership of Asanteman Association to reach out to all the other cultural groups and form alliances with the goal of promoting the African culture and improve the economic situation of all members.  He mentioned that, since Ghanaians have established their own churches, he wants to see them establish their own banks and credit unions and other businesses. He also wants to see Ghanaians involved in joint ventures that align with the economic revitalization of the city of Worcester currently going on. 

He told the crowd that there is strength in numbers and challenged them to begin to put their minds together and come up with ideas they can use to help each other and even those they have left back home in Ghana.

Nana Amakye Dede, the Iron Boy, entertained the crowed to some of his classics that Ghanaians have come to appreciate over the years.

Source: Ghanaian American Journal

AMAKYE DEDE @ ASANTEMAN ASSOCIATION

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(GAJ) At a time when the nation is grappling with incessant allegations of corruption at most of her public institutions, there is indeed one bright light, indeed, a true test of brain power. As the nation failed to make it to the 2018 World Cup, many have turned to the NSMQ as it is referred to, to get a jolt of National Pride.

Unlike the Spelling Bee in the US, which some may argue is not a true representation of academic excellence, Ghana’s Science and Math quiz is rigorous, comprehensive and brings out the best in Ghanaian High School academic performance, as most of its participants go on to the top of their fields in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields (STEM).

The quiz competition, formally referred to as the Brilliant Science and Math Quiz “Brilla” is by far the most highly rated academic event that brings all of Ghana’s secondary schools together to show the best among the lot. To date, the National Science and Math’s Quiz is the longest running educational program on Ghanaian television, as it celebrates 25 years, and garners the attention of the entire nation.

In fact, most old students from some of the top schools in Ghana, use this occasion to renew their bragging rights, as they boast of their schools as being the best in the nation.
The NSMQ as the name denotes, is no easy contest, it is actually a test of true academic excellence, as students have to compete over some difficult Science and Mathematics problems with speed and accuracy.

When the quiz began in 1993, it involved only 32 schools across the country, and these were divided into the Northern Sector and Southern Sector, with 16 schools per sector. Winners in both sectors were then brought to Ghana’s capital, Accra for the national championship. In 1997, the geographical sector system was abandoned and interestingly, two northern sector schools, Opoku Ware School and Prempeh College, two of the fiercest rivalries in secondary school history made it to the finals, the storied AV batch of 1997, from Opoku Ware School won the competition for the very first time against Prempeh College. 

In 1998, the tournament became known as the National Science & Maths Quiz, when it lost its sponsorship from the company which initially sponsored it, the makers of Brilliant soap. From 2000, the number of participating schools was increased to 40, and in 2013, the number of participating schools went up to 81, although 66 turned up for the competition. Thus, the participation format was changed to three schools competing per contest, instead of two, as had been the case since the program’s inception.

To give the competition a truly national character, the quiz has since 2014 involved 135 schools from all parts of Ghana. This gives virtually any good secondary school in Ghana the opportunity to compete on a level playing field with the historically “Great” schools.

If this year’s competition is any measure, the so called second-tier schools have done amazingly well by kicking out the top schools.

For example, Tamale Secondary School took out Achimota School; Mfantsipim School took out Presbyterian Secondary School and Mawuli Secondary took out Opoku Ware; and West African Secondary School took out Prempeh College.
The first quiz mistress was the late Prof. Marian Ewurama Addy, professor of Biochemistry at the University of Ghana, Legon. She was quiz-mistress from 1993-2000. Dr. Eureka Emefa Adomako, a botanist at the University of Ghana, Legon, took over as quiz-mistress from 2001 to 2005, having been recommended by Prof. Addy. Dr. Adomako was a fantastic quiz mistress who took charge of the program until she had to leave for postgraduate studies. Just as Prof. Addy had recommended her as quiz mistress, Dr. Adomako also recommended that Dr. Kaufmann take over as quiz mistress. In 2006, Dr. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, the Head of the Biomedical Engineering department, University of Ghana, Legon, took over as quiz mistress. Over the past ten years, she has succeeded in bringing her own style to the program, occasionally injecting some humor into an otherwise tense contest. As the chairperson of the moderation team, Dr. Kaufmann is supported by a team of consultants made up of Prof. W.A. Asomaning, Dr. Ebenezer Owusu, Dr. Amos Kuditcher and Dr. Douglas Adu-Gyamfi, all from the University of Ghana, Legon.

Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School, Legon has been to the finals 7 times and won the trophy 5 times. Another 7-time finalist, Opoku Ware School, has won the trophy two times. Prempeh College is a four-time winner. Achimota School is the only unisex school to have won the competition. It may surprise you that no all-female school has ever won the competition although, Ghana boasts of at least three top rated all-girl schools. Only 11 schools out of the hundreds of Senior High Schools in Ghana have won the competition since its inception.
From 2012, the Ghana Education Service (GES), through the Conference of Heads of Assisted Schools, CHASS, took up the sponsorship of the program. Thus, the competition was opened up to many more schools to participate. In 2013, 66 out of the 81 invited schools participated. From 2014, 108 schools were selected from regional competitions to join 27 seeded schools (quarter-finalists from the previous year’s competition) at the National Championships.

This year’s competition finals would be quite a unique one to witness as Adisadel College, considered a top-ranked school, tries to beat less known St. Peters Senior High School and West African Secondary School. If this year’s World cup gives us any clues, then being from a famous or big named country or school does not guarantee victory.

Source: www.gajreport.com

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GAJ Media Group, Publishers of the Ghanaian American Journal, an online news magazine in Connecticut, launched its premier professional and business networking mixer, dubbed the “Afro-New Englander” Networking Mixer. The event attracted several professionals and business startups across New England and New York. Among the notable guests at the event, were the Mayor of the City of Hartford, Mayor Luke Bronin and wife, Sara. The Mayor shared some words of encouragement with the attendees. He asked them to not only connect with the Ghanaian American community, but to the wider African diaspora as well, to build stronger communities. Also in attendance was the CEO of the World Affairs Council of Connecticut, Ms. Megan Clark Torrey. In her opening remarks, she underscored the importance of global connections and what her organization WAC-CT, is doing to educate the public about the importance of being globally minded and building diverse communities.

The CEO of GAJ Media Group, Mr. Fred Kojo Kyeremeh, on his part encouraged the attendees to embrace their identities as Africans living in the United States and use their knowledge and influences to support each other. He assured them that they are very much a part of America’s success story and should be proud in sharing their stories. He reiterated the notion that Africans can be found in all sectors of American society, and are making significant contributions to the economy, culture, education and healthcare needs of the country and should therefore not shy away or feel disregarded, irrespective of the current administration’s anti-immigration policies.

The special guest of honor at the event was the 2018 Ghanaian Olympian, Akwasi Frimpong. Akwasi Frimpong had earlier in the day, received a proclamation from the Mayor of Harford, Luke Bronin.

GAJ Media with the help of Mayor Bronin presented Akwasi with a special crystal plaque for his Olympic achievements. 

The event featured a special presentation on financial and investment management, which was led by Dr. Hans Boateng of the Investment Tutor, LLC and Mr. Kofi Koranteng of Highlife Management, LLC.

GAJ Media Group plans to host the networking mixer quarterly, and the event would always feature a special topic of interest and a guest presenter, an expert on that particular topic.

The attendees later had the opportunity to network and share ideas, as they enjoyed some Afrobeat tunes and a special musical performance by Worcester artist, Jay Hover. The MC of the evening, Obaa Yaa Adjeiwaa, ensured that attendees did not go home empty-handed, as a side attraction, she hosted a special raffle that was a major buzz of the evening. KTA Mobile, a Ghanaian-owned mobile phone company based in New York, and Franklin Osei- Assibey of Allstate Insurance Agency, the major sponsors of the event, provided items to be raffled off.

Source: www.gajreport.com

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