“We recognise that for you to effectively carry this out, you must understand Ghana’s food systems and what the Nkabom Collaborative seeks to do about it. You must also understand our processes,” she stressed.

She noted that the soirée was designed not only to explain the work of UG Nkabom Collaborative to the media but also to build enduring relationships with Ghana’s most influential storytellers.

Delivering a presentation on Ghana’s agri-food landscape, the Education Pillar lead for the Collaborative, Dr. Hayford Ayerakwa, made a compelling case for the initiative’s multi-stakeholder approach.

He grounded its urgency in a stark national paradox: while over 2 million Ghanaians remained food insecure, including 1 million chronically malnourished children, nearly one-third of all food produced was lost or wasted, according to the World Food Programme’s 2025 country brief.

He argued that this inefficiency stemmed from deep-seated structural gaps, which a fragmented approach could not solve. “Youth disengagement, fractured support systems, and the limited integration of vulnerable groups such as women, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and internally displaced persons,” he remarked, “provide a stark and compelling backdrop that makes our holistic, collaborative intervention not just timely, but necessary.”

He emphasised that the Collaborative’s approach was grounded in systemic problem-solving rather than traditional project thinking. “What we are attempting to build is not another project. but a coordinated path that brings young people, academia, private sector actors, and underserved groups into a shared mission for transforming our food systems,” he noted.

Professor Richmond Aryeetey, the Collaborative Lead, presented the vision of UG Nkabom as a Ghana in which young people drive the agri-food ecosystem sustainably. We are joining hands with the Mastercard Foundation, other educational institutions, civil society, industry players, and communities to pursue this vision,” he explained.

He further highlighted how the harmonised efforts of the Collaborative’s three pillars, Education, Entrepreneurship, and Access & Success, were intentionally designed to tackle the system’s underlying pain points.

“We believe that an effectively trained and tooled human resource, combined with the deliberate inclusion of women, persons with disabilities, and internally displaced persons, and a complete suite of entrepreneurship support, will holistically drive the agenda we seek.”

The evening’s panel discussion and its interactive question-and-answer (Q&A) session revealed a shared enthusiasm for building an enduring, mutually beneficial relationship between the Collaborative and the media.

Editors and reporters called for regular updates, simplified communication of technical issues, and increased access to human-centred stories that would bring the initiative’s work to life.

“Let us see the young people themselves; their challenges, their wins, their growth,” one reporter urged, setting the tone for more people-focused storytelling. Another editor added, “Feature not just the usual spokespeople, but the young innovators themselves. Their stories are what will make this resonate with a wider audience.”

Journalists also expressed a desire for more immersive experiences. “Imagine if we were having this conversation right in the middle of your training fields,” one participant suggested. “Seeing the work firsthand would make the story so much more powerful for our audiences.”

To ensure that the media could play its role effectively, participants called for predictable and streamlined communication. “A monthly or quarterly update, even a simple newsletter with success stories and photos, would give us the material we need to keep this narrative alive,” one editor advised.

Another added, “If you give us a heads-up on your events and milestones, we can be better prepared to cover them creatively.”

Perhaps, the most resonant observation of the night came from a senior journalist, who underscored the importance of a sustained public conversation: “This conversation is what holds leadership accountable. If we let it fade, so does the pressure to act.”

The soirée served as the foundational step in a longer-term strategy to equip media partners with the context and clarity needed to tell the Nkabom story with accuracy and impact.

This direct engagement aims to transform the media from passive observers into active allies, ensuring that future coverage moves beyond announcements to drive the dialogue that sustains public accountability and catalyses action around Ghana’s food systems.

About UG Nkabom

UG Nkabom is part of the Nkabom Collaborative – a partnership between the University of Ghana, Mastercard Foundation, McGill University, and six other Ghanaian institutions working to transform Ghana’s agri-food systems by empowering young people.

Through three core pillars, Education, Access and Success, and Entrepreneurship, UG Nkabom connects youth with the training, resources, and expertise needed to thrive in agribusiness. We prioritise those typically excluded from the sector, including women, displaced persons, and persons with disabilities.

UG Nkabom provides educational opportunities, facilitates access to funding, builds entrepreneurial capacity, and creates pathways to mentorship and industry connections. By placing the youth at the centre of Ghana’s food systems, we are demonstrating that agri-food is not just an economic sector; it is a platform for empowerment and national development.