TEDxChange 2013 is a TEDx event co-organized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and TED. Convened by Melinda French Gates and hosted by Chris Anderson, TEDxChange will focus on issues surrounding global health and development. TEDxChange type events are TEDx events hosted around the live webcast of TEDxChange, and also feature dynamic local speakers. Our event is called TEDxKNUSTChange, and is one of many TEDx events happening around the globe on April 3rd that will expand on the ideas brought up at TEDxChange 2013. Disruption is usually unwelcome. It represents conflict, chaos, and potential danger. We discourage disruptive behavior in our homes and our societies, often favoring passivity and compliance. But disruption can be a positive – sometimes vital – catalyst for change. It can challenge old assumptions, ignite conversations, activate authorities and expose new possibilities. Disruption can shed a unique light on difficult issues, giving a fresh urgency and perspective to the challenges of our global community. To solve the most intractable challenges in health and development, we need positive disruption. It is the path to true progress.
Alloysius Attah co-founded Farmerline, a mobile venture offering improved information access and communication pathways for smallholder farmers and agricultural stakeholders. He is passionate scaling technology to smallholder farmers across Africa. Alloysius brings to his peers, colleagues and community a sense of possibility and renewed enthusiasm. He is TEDxAccra speaker and an Echoing Green Fellowship 2013 semi-finalist. He studied Fisheries at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana and also has experience in using mobile and web technologies for development.
Eugene Eboh Tetteh is the Co-founder of GreenLife Ltd., an herbal clinic in Kumasi with a determined effort to exponentially expand, and to adequately meet the health needs of the people in Ghana. He holds a BSc. Herbal Medicine degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Scientific and Technology. In the very near future, he sees his company grow to meet the health needs of a wide array of clients; serve as a training centre for the herbal medicine students at the university; and also produce from research work, significant findings from medicinal plants.
Innovative thinking and creativity, two words that does not depart from the mouth of the co-founder of Creativity Group, KNUST, George Kwadwo Appiah aka Jorge Appiah. Complimented with the idea of providing indigenous solutions to one’s local problems, came the birth of Creativity Group. An undergraduate student group which seeks to provide students with practical platform where ideas and solutions are generated from the basic knowledge of science and engineering obtained in the classroom and also empowering the students to think and believe in their ability to provide adequate solutions for their immediate societal problems. Jorge holds a BSc. Electrical/Electronic Engineering (First class honors) degree from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). With Creativity Group, Jorge has embarked, led and designed various projects. These include among the lot, the Green Automated Tram Transport System for KNUST to solve transportation problem on campus, powered by clean energy from waste generated on campus; smart rain harvester and Offline Educational Server to make educational resources available to students in remote deprived areas. The group recently embarked on a science and engineering outreach to senior high schools in the Kumasi environs with the program dubbed Scientist of the Future (SOFT) fair. This was done in partnership with Practical Education Network-MIT, Obsession Inc. and the US Embassy, Ghana.
Akua Akyaa Nkrumah B.S, also known as ‘The Green Ghanaian’, is an up and coming Ghanaian Environmental Technologist and blogger who is deeply concerned about environmental issues unique to Ghana and the African continent as a whole. As ‘The Green Ghanaian’, she blogs about the need for Ghanaians to acknowledge and resolve ongoing environmental challenges. Through this medium she seeks to educate, discuss and strike up a national dialogue to address home-grown solutions and generate environmental consciousness, especially among the youth. While pursuing her degree at the University of Maryland, Akua concentrated on Ecological Technology and was the lead researcher for Tseai Energy Unlimited, a start-up business linking agriculture, renewable energy for rural African communities and social innovation. Her research targeted centered on utilizing feedstocks such as palm oil mill effluent and various other forms of organic waste to produce biogas and electricity. Currently, Akua is an Environmental Consultant for Premier Development Consult in Accra, Ghana while maintaining her vital role as a Research Aid through her work with Energy Solutions Foundation – Ghana, a non-profit organization aiming to provide green technology solutions for the everyday Ghanaian. Akua’s message? “There is not such thing as waste. We just don’t know how valuable our leftovers really are.”
Andrew is one of the co-founders of Kulemela Investments Incorporated. Kulemela provides innovative financing opportunities to small and medium sized agribusinesses by leveraing international investor capital. Andrew has four years of experience as an agricultural business facilitator under the USAID – ADVANCE (Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement) project in Ghana. As a business facilitator, he engaged in business development consulting and helped businesses build relationships within their value chain. His work has had a focus on the rice sector. He holds a BSc. in Agricultural Economics from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Yaw Adu-Gyamfi is Kumasi local chapter coordinator of Africa Unbound, helping implement the organization's outreach strategy in Ghana. He is also an Atlas Corps Fellow Alumni and Director at Kumasi Center for Life-Long Learning, a center for skills development and entrepreneurship, research and policy advocacy. As a trained Cluster Facilitator and member of the Pan-African Competitiveness Forum-PACF, Yaw works to strengthen the competitiveness of local African organizations through shared best practices and helped found the Tamale Shea Cluster Initiative-TaSCi in Ghana. Prior to co-founding Kumasi Center, Yaw worked as General Manager at Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organization-SMIDO, and led efforts at business skills and entrepreneurship training for 100+ mechanics, small trading business owners and light manufacturers in 2010 in collaboration with the Ghana India-Kofi Annan Center of Excellence in ICT. He currently serves on the Boards of LDI Africa and Shea Yeleen International both registered US Non-Profits, helping build the capacity of local grassroots organizations and women Shea Butter producers in Africa respectively. Yaw holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Governance and Sustainable Development from the Catholic University of Ghana and the University of Cape Coast respectively. As part of sharing experiences and thoughts, Yaw frequently writes for Tekedia.com, an online media and publishing arm of First Atlantic Semiconductors and Microelectronics Nigeria Limited
Yaw Kuffour Sarbeng was born in Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana, where he had his primary and high school education until he moved to Kumasi to have his first degree in Architecture. He is currently a final year Master of Architecture student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of science and Technology. Yaw has taken part in International Development and Design Summits held in Ghana and Brazil in 2011 in 2012 respectively,which focused on encouraging, promoting, and building more research and development resources that focus on the needs of the world’s poor through co-creation. Yaw and his team have recently been recognised internationally as they took 2nd place in the maiden AfrikArchi student collective housing competition. His designs (social and architectural) are inspired by nature.
Isaiah Nimako Baah is a mechanical engineering graduate from KNUST (Production and design). Currently a research assistant at the applied industrial ceramics and rural enterprise development unit of Technonology consultancy Center KNUST. He has worked on clean energy projects (biomas gasification and bio briquettes), cook stove designs and non-chemical water filters. His most recent work is plastic waste to fuel conversion Nene Amoatey is a Chemical engineering graduate from KNUST. He is now a research assistant at the applied industrial ceramics and rural enterprise development unit of Technology consultancy Center KNUST. He has worked on clean energy projects (biomas gasification and bio briquettes), cook stove designs and non- chemical water filters. His most recent work is plastic waste to fuel conversion Brian Dzansi Dzidefo is an Electrical/Electronic engineering graduate from KNUST. Founder of creative minds multimedia, a budding collegiate emarketing and branding firm. He is also the editor of www.watsuptek.com, a comprehensive online news and lifestyle platform on KNUST campus set to inform, impact and entertain. He is currently doubles as a research assistant and in charge of IT at technology consultancy center, KNUST
Ofori Mary Josephine also known as Maryjo or Emjay is the name of the passionate young designer behind MaryJo Fashion Collections. Her passion and drive borders on bringing out the hidden beauty of the African culture through African print fabric fashion. As a designer, Maryjo seeks to create innovative designs in the form of ladies and gents footwear, all kinds of bags and accessories to-match from the African print fabrics. Through this, she seeks to revive the belief in, respect and admiration for the African print fabric, not only among the youth but the world at large. MaryJo is a second year student from KNUST, majoring in Economics.
Kuukuwa Manful is a freshly minted Architect and aspiring social entrepreneur. For her recent Master of Architecture Thesis, she explored the concept of an Ashanti Architectural identity for urban regeneration of the Bantama area. Kuukuwa has been part of many international conferences including TEDx events. She attended TEDxDzorwulu, TEDxAccra and was an integral member of the TEDxKNUST Team. She loves to read and meet new people who share the passion to make a difference!