By Samson Echenim
Facebook weekend brought together 40 young leaders, developers, entrepreneurs and change-makers from Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa, to a two-day event in Accra, Ghana, titled “Celebrating Icons of Change”.
The event was held Friday and Saturday to celebrate Africa’s next generation of leaders and innovators, while providing opportunities to network, connect and create a positive dialogue.
With attendees coming from 15 countries from across sub-Saharan African, participants were made up of Facebook Community Leaders, Developer Circle Leads, entrepreneurs, SMBs, as well as future change makers from the Africa Leadership University (ALU). Spending two days networking, attending leadership and digital skills workshops, and hearing from other young inspirational leaders from across the continent, attendees were also given the opportunity to give back to local communities in Accra by hosting workshops such as Coding for kids, and mentorship sessions for other young, up-and-coming SMBs and entrepreneurs.
KeziaAnim-Addo, Facebook communication manager, sub-Saharan Africa, said about the gathering: “I’m so proud that we’re bringing this first event of its kind for Facebook to the continent and to Ghana. At Facebook, we see our role as supporting and investing in various communities here on the continent, in particular the youth. This event is about celebrating those people, the amazing talent, innovation and businesses we’re seeing emerge, and the young people who are accelerating this growth, and building an incredible future for the continent. It’s a privilege for us to be able to bring together 40 icons of change, and we look forward to what the two days will hold.”
Attendees represent countries from the region, including Ghana, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Botswana, DRC, South Africa, Cameroon and Zambia, and include:
Facebook Community Leaders who have started Facebook Groups dedicated to a topic or collective experience, and are having a positive impact in their community. Martin Beck Nworah, for example, oversees a community of more than 100,000 members on the Tale of Nigerians page, while GameliAdzaho from Ghana, who runs GLabGhana – a community group who bring together students, teachers, researchers, scientists and science enthusiasts to network, learn and share scientific knowledge, for the good of humanity.
Facebook Developer Circle leads, a community-driven initiative for developers that members join for free – allowing them to connect, share ideas, learn, and collaborate.
SMBs & Entrepreneurs, these are young people who have started businesses which are making an impact in their communities and beyond. For example, Kahitouo from Burkina Faso, founder of FasoPro which specialises in packaging and selling African insects as alternative sources of protein, and now has 360 sales outlets across 25 cities in Burkina Faso.
