Upendi PR powers maiden Africa Science Week in Ghana

Upendi PR, a leading public relations and communications firm providing total communication solutions to businesses and individuals across Africa is leading the execution of the maiden Africa Science Week celebrations in Ghana.

The fast growing Accra based firm is leading the novel celebrations that will bring together over 5,000 participants across 4 regions to celebrate the latest innovations in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as to empower young people across the country through hands-on STEM experientials including coding, virtual & augmented reality outreaches and hackathons.

The week long celebrations, an initiative of the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) and the Africa Institute of Mathematical Sciences is scheduled for 25th to 29th September under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovations under the theme: Accelerating growth and development through STEM.

The NEF Africa Science Week celebrations is Africa’s biggest annual celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) that brings together thousands of participants to engage in coordinated events aimed at promoting the adoption of STEM across the African continent.

The celebrations are being held in over 35 African countries including Ghana,
Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Sudan among others.

The maiden Ghana event is expected to be the biggest celebration of STEM in the country and is designed to be both a thought leadership and experiential event bringing together over 5,000 participants and key stakeholders to create awareness and drive greater participation in STEM.

Commenting on the upcoming celebration, the President of AIMS Ghana, Lucy Quist said “We are truly excited that Ghana is joining 33 other African countries to commemorate the NEF Africa Science Week for the very first time this year. This celebration presents our country with a unique opportunity to elevate the conversation, drive greater participation and celebrate individuals and organisations in STEM in Ghana”.

She continued, “Africa is on the verge of economic transformation built on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. We have a unique opportunity to truly transform our economies leveraging STEM as an accelerator. Platforms such as the NEF Science Week are a great starting point for meaningful conversations and engagements. We are looking forward to a truly memorable
celebration.”

Co-founder of Upendi PR, Kweku Ahiagble said, "We are delighted to be leading the celebration of Africa's biggest celebration of STEM in Ghana through a number of well thought out and impactful initiatives. As one of the fastest growing PR agencies on the continent we are of the firm believe that
STEM plays a critical role in advancing Africa's development."

"Through these celebrations, we hope to bring the innovative strides individuals and companies in Ghana are driving onto the world stage and to discuss practical ways of accelerating the adoption of STEM in Ghana and across the continent"

The five day celebration commences on Tuesday 25th September as follows:

25th September — Full day Coding and Virtual Reality workshop for pupils from selected Junior High Schools in Ho (Volta Region) in partnership with the Ghana Code Club and Ho Node. Participants will be empowered to code games using Scratch programming.

26th September — Full day Practical Science and Open hardware activities in selected schools in Tamale (Northern Region) in partnership with TeachForGhana

27th September — Exhibition of local innovations and conversation on Open Science and Hardware for local business plus hands on STEM activations for selected basic schools in Kumasi (Ashanti Region) in partnership with Kumasi Hive.

28th September — Full day Africa Science Week Conference and Exhibitions involving keynotes, panel discussions and exhibitions of the latest innovations in STEM at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, Accra.

29th September — STEM open day and exhibitions for young people at the Planetarium, and a Data Science & amp; Hackathon (Data-thon) for problem solvers in collaboration with the Planetarium,
Developers in Vogue and Global Lab Network.