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UID:20260418T221908EDT-4531Rp5opT@132.216.98.100
DTSTAMP:20260419T021908Z
DESCRIPTION:Breaking silos to improve nutritional outcomes in Ghana\n\nAs a
  flagship initiative under the Nkabom Collaborative\, 91ºÚÁÏÍø’s 
 Sustainable Growth Initiative (SGI) Office of Sustainable Africa supports 
 students to address Africa’s most pressing sustainable development challen
 ges in the Nkabom Africa Case Competition\n\nThe Five finalist teams will 
 present their solutions to a panel of judges who will select the teams wit
 h the most outstanding solutions. The goal is to further develop and imple
 ment the top five winning teams’ solutions within the Nkabom Collaborative
 . The Nkabom Collaborative is a multi-stakeholder partnership with the Mas
 tercard Foundation that brings together 91ºÚÁÏÍø\, six Ghanaian e
 ducational institutions\, and an industry partner to transform Ghana’s nut
 rition and agri-food ecosystem by creating opportunities for youth-led imp
 act through experiential learning\, innovation\, and entrepreneurship.\n\n
 Beyond the competition itself\, the day is designed as a convening of lead
 ers from business\, public\, and nonprofit sectors\, academia\, and studen
 ts committed to addressing Africa’s most pressing sustainable development 
 challenges. Attendees will hear from experts in the field through a keynot
 e address and an engaging panel discussion exploring the competition’s cen
 tral theme: Breaking Silos to Improve Nutritional Outcomes in Ghana. The p
 rogram will also serve as a platform for the participants to engage with e
 ach other during the networking session (only for in-person attendees).\n
 \nDate: April 8\, 2026\n	Time: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT (-4 GMT)\n	Location
 : In-person in Montreal (91ºÚÁÏÍø\, Faculty Club - 3450 McTavish 
 Street\, Montreal\, QC\, Canada)\; Online for others\n\nMontreal attendees
  in-person Online for attendees outside Montreal\n\nNote: A meeting link w
 ill be shared with virtual participants prior to the event day.\n\n\nAgend
 a\n\n\n	\n		\n			\n				Morning session | 8:00 am-12:30 pm\n			\n		\n		\n			\n				Breakfast and Che
 ck-In\n			\n		\n		\n			\n				Welcome Adress and Opening Remarks\n			\n		\n		\n			Presentations on 
 the Nkabom Collaborative and 91ºÚÁÏÍø Mastercard Foundation partnership prog
 rams\n		\n		\n			Presentations by the five finalist teams\n		\n		\n			\n				Afternoon sessio
 n | 12:30 pm-5:00 pm\n			\n		\n		\n			\n				Lunch Break\n			\n		\n		\n			Panel discussion on the C
 ompetition theme\n		\n		\n			Keynote Speaker’s Address\n		\n		\n			Announcement of the w
 inning team\, awards and photo session\n		\n		\n			Closing Remarks and Cocktail R
 eception\n		\n	\n\n\nNOTE: All programming times are in EDT (-4GMT).\n\n5 Fin
 alist Teams\n\n\n	Biotechnology for African Nutrition Collaborative: Univer
 sity of Ghana (UG) & Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (K
 NUST)\, Ghana\n	Eastside Sankofa Industries Ghana: University of Environmen
 t and Sustainable Development (UESD)\, Ghana\n	Edunet: Arizona State Univer
 sity (ASU)\, USA\n	Okuafo Adanfo: University of Cambridge\, UK\n	SPIAfrica: 
 Princeton University\, USA\n		 \n\n\nGuest speakers\n\n\n	Dean Yolande E. Cha
 n\n	Prof. Richmond Aryeetey\n	Pierre Brunache\, Jr.\n	John Gradek\n	Rana Kaddo
 uri\n	Dr. Khalid Mustafa Medani\n	Valerie Ndiweni\n	Prof. Michael Ngadi \n	Pro
 f. Wilberforce Owusu-Ansah \n	Prof. Julie Ricard\n	Prof. Katrin Tinn\n\n\n\n
 Judges\n\n\n\nGabriella Adibe\n\nGabriella Adibe is a Development Officer 
 for the Ghana Program at Global Affairs Canada\, where she supports intern
 ational development initiatives that advance gender equality\, inclusive e
 conomic growth\, and sustainable development outcomes in Ghana.\n\nPreviou
 sly\, Gabriella served as an Advocacy Officer\, supporting digital communi
 cations initiatives for Canadian missions abroad and supporting the develo
 pment of social media strategies\, and international campaigns to strength
 en international advocacy efforts aligned with Canada’s foreign policy pri
 orities.\n\nGabriella also serves as the Embassy Co-Lead for the Young Pro
 fessionals Network\, where she helps foster engagement between Canada’s di
 plomatic community and emerging professionals through collaborative events
  and partnerships. She holds a master’s degree in public policy and manage
 ment from Dalhousie University and a bachelor’s degree in child studies\, 
 with minors in neuroscience and disability studies from Carleton Universit
 y .\n\n \n\n\n\nAyesha Harruna Attah\n\nAyesha Harruna Attah is the author
  of five novels\, including The Hundred Wells of Salaga\, a finalist for t
 he William Saroyan Prize. Her debut non-fiction book on the kola nut of We
 st Africa will be released in December 2026. Her writing has appeared in T
 he New York Times\, The Guardian\, among others. Born and raised in Ghana\
 , she now lives in Senegal\, where she runs Popenglace\, a small-batch ice
 -cream shop that uses fresh\, local ingredients to spread joy. She is also
  the coordinator of La Bibliothèque de Popenguine\, a library that brings 
 the world of books to the village of Popenguine.\n\n \n\n\n\nBlessed Awini
 \n\nBlessed Awini is a 91ºÚÁÏÍø student pursuing a double major i
 n Psychology and Political Science. A Ghanaian-born leader and advocate\, 
 she serves as President of Girls4Ghana\, leading fundraising and outreach 
 efforts to support female education. She is also the Vice President of Eve
 nts for the African Studies Students Association\, where she oversees even
 t planning and student engagement initiatives. In addition to her academic
  and nonprofit work\, she is the founder of Quick Snak and is passionate a
 bout leadership\, community impact\, and entrepreneurship.\n\n \n\n\n\nYao
 vi Bouka\n\nDr. Yaovi Bouka holds a PhD in Administration\, Finance option
  from the University of Poitiers and holds the title of Financial Planner.
 \n\nA former professor of finance\, Dr. Yaovi Bouka has been a financial a
 dvisor at IG Wealth Management (www.Ig.ca) for over 35 years. A member of 
 the Board of Directors of the consulting engineering firm NCKI (www.nck.ca
 )\, Mr. Bouka is a founding member\, President and CEO of the organization
  Force Leadership Africain\, which has just celebrated its 20th anniversar
 y on March 7\, 2026.\n\nHe is also the Director of the FLA's Canada Africa
  Economic Magazine and Chair of the Organizing Committee of the Canada-Afr
 ica Trade and Investment Forum\, the 8th edition of which will take place 
 in Montreal on June 4 and 5\, 2026.\n\nFinally\, Mr. Bouka has been a awar
 ded of the Coronation Medal of King Charles III since September 2025.\n\n 
 \n\n\n\n \n\nIdaresit Ekaette\n\nDr. Idaresit Ekaette is a bioresource eng
 ineer whose research focuses on the development of sustainable food system
 s and bio-based products. She is an Assistant Professor jointly appointed 
 in the Department of Bioresource Engineering and the Department of Food Sc
 ience and Agricultural Chemistry at 91ºÚÁÏÍø\, Canada. Her resear
 ch expertise includes food fortification\, agri-food waste valorization\, 
 and biopolymer development\, with an emphasis on practical solutions that 
 advance food security\, environmental sustainability\, and socioeconomic d
 evelopment.\n\nDr. Ekaette leads the Food and Biomaterial Engineering Labo
 ratory at 91ºÚÁÏÍø’s Macdonald Campus. She is actively engaged in
  the training and mentorship of highly qualified personnel\, as evidenced 
 by her scholarly publications and participation in national and internatio
 nal conferences. Dr. Ekaette is a Sustainability Education Fellow at McGil
 l University\, a member of the Canadian Society for Agricultural and Biosy
 stems Engineering (CSABE)\, where she serves on the Food and Organic Waste
  Management Committee\, and a Scholar of the Carnegie African Diaspora Fel
 lowship.\n\n \n\n\n\nChris Emergui\n\nMotherFood.org Partner\n	91ºÚÁÏÍø Grad
 \n\nIn 1996\, Chris Emergui co-founded BAM Strategy\, one of the first dig
 ital marketing agencies in Canada. Under his leadership\, the agency grew 
 to a team of over 100 professionals before its successful sale in 2025. Ch
 ris was named the BDC Entrepreneur of the Year in 2000 and has dedicated t
 he past 25 years to mentoring young entrepreneurs.\n\nFor the past two yea
 rs\, Chris has served as a Partner at MotherFood.org\, an organization ded
 icated to eradicating childhood malnutrition. By empowering global entrepr
 eneurs to scale their businesses and fortify their products\, MotherFood.o
 rg helps mothers and children get the nutrition they vitally need. MOtherF
 ood.org is on track to fortify over 50 million servings in 2026\, marking 
 a significant milestone in the mission to provide life-saving nutrition to
  those who need it most.\n\n \n\n\n\nCharles Osei‑Mensah\n\nCharles Osei‑M
 ensah is a Ghanaian diplomat with extensive experience across Ghana’s bila
 teral and multilateral missions. He serves as a Minister at the High Commi
 ssion of Ghana in Ottawa and is the Officer responsible for Trade and Inve
 stment\, leading initiatives to advance Ghana’s economic cooperation and c
 ommercial partnerships in Canada\n\nHe previously served at the Permanent 
 Mission of Ghana to the United Nations as a member of Ghana’s UN Security 
 Council team (2022–2023)\, working on files related to counter‑terrorism a
 nd broader international peace and security.\n	His foreign service experien
 ce includes postings at Ghana’s Embassies in Cotonou\, Benin\; Brussels\, 
 Belgium\; and the Mission to the European Union. He served as Minister‑Cou
 nsellor and Head of Chancery in Cotonou\, and earlier held diplomatic assi
 gnments in Belgium\, Luxembourg\, and the EU system.\n\nAt the Ministry of
  Foreign Affairs of Ghana\, he held senior roles as Deputy Director in the
  Office of the Deputy Minister and Deputy Director at the Europe Bureau\, 
 supporting policy coordination\, institutional engagement\, and collaborat
 ion with diplomatic and economic partners. He has also worked in the Middl
 e East and Asia Bureau\, the Trade and Investment Bureau\, and other direc
 torates of the Ministry.\n
DTSTART:20260408T120000Z
DTEND:20260408T210000Z
LOCATION:In-person in Montreal\; Online for others
SUMMARY:Nkabom Africa Case Competition 2025 - 2026 Finals
URL:/desautels/channels/event/nkabom-africa-case-compe
 tition-2025-2026-finals-371832
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