UNDP Champions Of Trade For The SDGs: A Call To Ghana’s Youth!

by OFA April 1, 2021

written by OFA April 1, 2021 1 comment

Application Deadline: April 16, 2021

Champions of Trade is awarded by UNDP in Partnership with the SDG Advisory Unit. The award is implemented by the Intelligent Capital. The SDG’s Advisory Unit of the Office of the President in partnership with the UNDP and supported by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, has just launched Champions of Trade for the SDGs. This competition is designed to nurture innovative ideas through which the AfCFTA can deliver the SDGs.

The core objectives of the Champions of Trade for the SDGs initiative are to promote continental trade among young African Innovators, Entrepreneurs, Agripreneurs and Startups and help the youth and especially women, to understand how important it is for everyone to be involved in achieving the broader objectives of the Africa Free Continental Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement and especially so for the SDGs.

The Relationship Between The SDGS & AfCFTA

The purpose and strategic objectives of the SDGs and the AfCFTA are indivisible. The SDGs are about eradicating poverty, protecting our planet and they are about prosperity for all.
The AfCFTA is broadly about eradicating poverty, through inclusive growth, sustainable jobs and sustainable industrial development overall.
Both the SDGs and the AfCFTA are bold and ambitious initiatives, they are transformative at their core, they are about enlarging choices and opportunities for human development, they are about paradigm shifts and business ‘’as unusual’’.
Implemented effectively, both the AfCFTA and the SDGs are potentially game changers when it comes to sustainable development of Africa, and a brighter future for the continent and its people.
Cross-border trade in Africa is dominated by women, and dismantling the barriers to intra-African trade as the AfCFTA seeks to do, will provide the opportunity for million of women on the continent.
The AfCFTA and the SDGs are milestone initiatives and potential game-changers for Africa. The SDGs are about the World that We Want; and the AfCFTA is an important building block for the Africa that We Want.
Most especially highlighted in this campaign, is the purpose of the AfCFTA in achieving SDG #8 – “decent work and economic growth” and #9 – “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure”.

Champions Of Trade For The SDGs – Who Can Participate?

Participation is open to all. With a mission to project the national interest, youth networks, innovation hubs and community/grass root organisations from across the 16 regions of Ghana are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications in the form of videos or text, will be accepted via the official website –www.championsoftradeghana.com

Selection Process

All submissions would go through a 1st stage prescreening with 3 innovative ideas being selected to represent each region during the competition.
At the 2nd Stage of the competition the selected 3 regional representatives would be tasked to work together to draw synergies from their ideas to develop a comprehensive model for making AfCFTA a people’s movement for the region they represent.

The Pitch

The 10 regional tasked teams would have an opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges through a video submission that brings on board the local context of how to make AfCFTA beneficial at the grassroot level.
The video submissions and recordings will be publicized as part of the sensitization campaign. Finalists would be selected based on the judgement of a panel of judges. .

Prize Award

Based on the popular acclamation and scores from the panel of judges, 3 out of the 16 tasked teams would be selected as finalists and awarded the seed fund of GHC 10,000 each.