AESEDA And AIR Centre Collaborate with Ashesi University for Design Innovation Workshop

Ghana

AESEDA, in partnership with the AIR Centre and Ashesi University, organized a workshop on October 19-20, 2018, focused on the theme of Design Innovation for Coastal Resilience. Representing Penn State, Dr. Gregory Jenkins, the Director of AESEDA, and DK Osseo Asare, Associate Director, actively participated in this two-day event held in Ghana.

The Atlantic Ocean plays a vital role as an economic powerhouse for countries both above and below the Equator, particularly those bordering the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. Recent studies have shown that these nations heavily rely on coastal resources and the Atlantic Ocean for a significant portion of their GDP. However, the combined effects of natural and anthropogenic climate change drivers pose substantial threats to the current social and economic development trajectories of these coastal regions.

The workshop, titled “Design Innovation for Coastal Resilience,” brought together stakeholders from Ghana’s entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, and scientific research communities. The aim was to explore opportunities and develop joint solutions that address the developmental and climate change challenges confronting the coastal West African region.

The first day of the workshop featured a hands-on design thinking and making session, led by Dr. Jenkins, DK Osseo-Asare, and the Ashesi Design Lab. Students and faculty members actively participated in identifying structural and systemic challenges hindering climate innovation in the region. Additionally, they collaborated to build and test low-cost air quality and environmental sensor units, which were deployed to measure air pollution and related environmental conditions at various sites in Accra.

On the second day, workshop participants visited the Agbogbloshie Makerspace Platform site, situated within Accra’s Agbogbloshie scrapyard. This collaborative visit aimed to further develop and test the low-cost sensors by measuring air quality in e-waste processing areas within the scrapyard, while engaging with local youth.

The AESEDA and AIR Centre’s collaboration with Ashesi University for the Design Innovation workshop fostered a dynamic environment for exploring innovative solutions. By combining the expertise of various stakeholders, including academia, entrepreneurship, and scientific research communities, the workshop aimed to address the pressing challenges of coastal resilience in the region.