How do African students in the diaspora engage with their colleagues and partners on the continent, in Canada, and globally to make an impact in Africa? We hear from the leaders of African student organizations about plans being made for the coming year. This virtual session builds on intergenerational collaboration between the McGill Community for Lifelong Learning (MCLL), and the McGill Mastercard Foundation Transitions Project as we look at the last session of the "Towards the Africa of Tomorrow" series.

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023 @ 12 - 2 PM (EDT)/ 4 - 6 PM (GMT)

This virtual session builds on intergenerational collaboration between the McGill Community for Lifelong Learning (MCLL) and the McGill Mastercard Foundation Transitions Project. In this session we will hear from Mastercard Foundation Scholar Alumni/other African students/recent graduates/MCLL members as they share experiences about their projects in Nutrition and Climate-Smart Agriculture and Innovation OR other topic of choice by MCLL/Mastercard Foundation Scholars.

• Presentation by Mastercard Foundation Scholar and Queen Elizabeth Scholar Priscilla Boadi.

• Roundtable discussion.

Wednesday, October 25 2023 from 12 - 1:30 PM (EST)/4 - 5:30 PM (GMT).

This virtual session builds on intergenerational collaboration between the McGill Community for Lifelong Learning (MCLL) and the McGill Mastercard Foundation Transitions Project. In this session we will hear from Mastercard Foundation Scholar Alumni and other African students/recent graduates as they share experiences about some of the challenges and opportunities they face as they transition from studies to the world of work, for impact in Africa. MCLL members will also share their past experiences and how they navigated challenges and leveraged opportunities.

Short presentations followed by discussion:

• Students/recent graduates, MCLL members share experiences about challenges and opportunities faced during transitions from studies in Africa or in North America to the world of work, for ultimately having impact in Africa.
• Q&A, comments about the presentations by students/recent graduates and MCLL members.
• Roundtable Discussion: How might students/recent graduates and MCLL members engage with each other to facilitate overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities during transitions.

Perspectives on current geopolitics in Africa

This virtual session builds on intergenerational collaboration between the McGill Community for Lifelong Learning (MCLL) and the McGill Mastercard Foundation Transitions Project. As climate change highlights the scarcity of resources globally, how are different regions of the world being affected? What steps might stakeholders in Africa and Canada take to address conflicts that are emerging from the complex mix of climate change and Cold War-type geopolitics? We will explore the perspectives of McGill faculty/staff, students, and MCLL members who have previously or are currently engaged in Africa-based projects with partners.

Short presentations followed by discussion:

• Students, faculty/staff, MCLL presentations of different perspectives of linkages between climate change and conflict in Africa and Canada.
• Q&A, comments about the presentations by students/recent graduates and MCLL members.
• Roundtable Discussion: How different generations of stakeholders, such as students, faculty/staff, and MCLL members could collaborate and contribute to addressing the challenges being faced.

The ‘Youth and rural women entrepreneurship: Creating and sustaining alternative livelihood options in Ghana’ project is a collaboration between McGill University, the University of Ghana Nutrition Research and Training Centre (NRTC), the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI). The McGill University Mastercard Foundation Transitions Fund supports the project.

Project aim

The project aims to support the development of new agricultural businesses as alternative sources of income for rural women. In supporting this goal, the project brings together women gari (toasted cassava flour) processors in the Sekesua community and university graduates to explore their mutual interest in developing new agriculture-related businesses.

Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition

Seven teams, each team comprised of university graduates and Sekesua women entrepreneurs, pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges during an Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition (EPC) as part of the Association of Ghana Industries Ghana Industrial Summit and Exhibition on September 20, 2023. Three viable businesses were selected during the entrepreneurship pitch competition to share 30,000 CAD for their newly formed enterprises in Sekesua.