Over the weekend of
February 6th to 8th 2015, Ghana hosted hundred of the sub
region’s brain boxes of entrepreneurs at GIMPA. What were they here for,
TechCamp West Africa.
 |
| TECHCAMP WEST AFRICA 2015 - ACCRA |
The public-private initiative
spearheaded by the US Embassy Ghana and the GhanaThink Foundation was to
encourage cross border collaboration, inspire entrepreneurship, and promote
increased trade across borders.
Session began with
attendees (participants) briefly introducing themselves, what they do and the
various countries they represented.
Participants and Leads pushing through discussions in the Elections Jams session.#TechCampWA @cyriacgbogou pic.twitter.com/eUwnAJKD0G
— Kofi Opare (@QwophiCedi) February 7, 2015
Lead panel Seyi Taylor and Cyriac Gbogou opened the
discussions by asking participants which countries were having elections in the
sub-region and participants’ stated a few. Participants from Liberia pointed
out they had their elections the previous year and it was well noted.
I went to Accra for an event called Tech Camp West Africa where I was invited to lead a session on use of tech in elections.
— ST (@seyitaylor) February 8, 2015
Moving forward in the
discussion, participants expressed how the period of an election affected their
businesses. One of the participants from Liberia stated that, his NGOs main sponsor
left the country and haltered all funds that had been agreed to sponsor its
programs for the year. This he expressed really affected his organization as
one of the programs of the organization was targeted at poverty alleviation and
scholarship grants to needy children towards their education.
As they shared their experiences, I became very sad. Africa has 'enjoyed' sit-tight leaders and they've caused us pain.
— ST (@seyitaylor) February 8, 2015
Another participant
from Ghana stated that “My opportunity to gain that funding for my organization
was declined later after it had been agreed in principle that my application
had been approved. The reason, because a prominent politician who was
contesting a Member of Parliament seat had come in for a colossal amount to
fund his campaign and was considered a priority client”. This participant
expressed disappointment because it affected his schedule of operations for the
next period.
In CIV, post-election violence meant a complete stop to trade. They couldn't even buy airtime. One entrepreneur operated a call center
— ST (@seyitaylor) February 8, 2015
It seemed unanimous
that, in the sub-region, one thing was evident; organizations are tagged to
either the ruling government or the opposition party mostly based on perception
or at some point your affiliation in society.
In as much as
electioneering period affected some entrepreneurship ventures, there were some good
news in some aspects as, the period helped some of the participants to explore
their entrepreneurship self.
One of the participants stated that, the elections
helped his organization to enforce the reason why one should vote and not
accept bribes to induce their decision. They in turn set up a working post
where information dissemination made them gain funding from some organizations
to support their project. This participant was from Liberia.
Some countries have been trying to 'conclude' the electoral process for A WHOLE YEAR. Can you imagine doing this for a year?
— ST (@seyitaylor) February 8, 2015
Revealing during the
Jam session was a term in the mobile telephony circles which had similar
references in the sub-region. In Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria, it is referred to
as FLASH
whiles in Togo and Ivory Coast it’s known as BEEP. This is where a
main call is stooped after a connection is established and the recipient gets
notified and shows as missed call. Interestingly, in Liberia, it depends on the
intellectual affiliation level where the somehow educated folks call it flash
and the rural folks used beep. This actually drew loud laughs in the room
ending in applause. It was news to me and for once I learnt another thing that
was general in the sub-region.
In another country. You would flash their number and they would call you back and ask you who to relate the message to. Disaster.
— ST (@seyitaylor) February 8, 2015
It was therefore agreed
by both participants and lead panel that, as an entrepreneur in West Africa,
you must have a working plan specifically spelling out your strengths
especially during an election year so your business isn't affected.
