The Global South's largest convening on impact entrepreneurship and sustainable development, the Sankalp Summit, is hosting its 1st Edition in Accra on June 12 and 13. The Sankalp West Africa Summit 2023 presented by Intellecap and Sankalp Forum will positively engage 80+ Global and Regional Speakers and over 300 pioneering change-makers from the development ecosystem and impact community in West Africa, to discuss, define, and drive forward the critical levers of entrepreneurial success, across more than 16 interactive sessions. This year's summit on the theme :'Catalysing Collaborations for Entrepreneur led development in West Africa' will focus on the power of partnerships in supporting the growth of entrepreneurs in the region and driving critical discussions around focus areas like Climate and Energy, Agriculture, Health and Nutrition, Circular Economy, Financial Inclusion, Gender and Livelihoods. The Summit will also feature speeches by government dignitaries, insights from Global leaders, learning sessions through master classes, insightful panel discussions, francophone country spotlights, and the Sankalp West Africa Awards showcasing promising startups. There will also be fireside chats, a fashion show that celebrates sustainability, an Electric Vehicle test track to focus on climate change and an entrepreneur-investor LIVE deal room, all aimed at celebrating entrepreneurship, forging collaborative partnerships, and imagining the future beyond the goals themselves. Speaking about the West Africa Summit, Arielle Molino, AVP Intellecap and Sankalp Africa Lead said, 'For over a decade Sankalp in East Africa has demonstrated the ability to drive action and influence outcomes, and now with our 1st Sankalp West Africa Summit 2023 we're very excited to bring the Summit along with our partners. We will bring together our expertise across the Global South to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem and to catalyse collaborations to make measurable contribution towards driving a sustainable economic and inclusive agenda for West Africa'. Vikas Bali, CEO, Intellecap said, 'As the world chases ambitious Social Development Goals, the Summit shifts the focus on the questions that West Africa collectively desires to address. The summit brings together a confluence of entrepreneurs and businesses, curated conversations and inspired learning, all of which will have a substantial contribution in addressing and answering complex challenges. We are grateful to our partners who joined us for the West Africa summit.' The summit will witness key partners like Visa Foundation, IDRC, Siemens, AFEX, Energy Catalyst and Miller Center, coming together to help achieve the SDGs , with each of them lending specific perspective and insight. Flaubert Mbiekop, Senior Programme Officer, Canada's International Development Research Center said, 'Building an inclusive and sustainable economy is at the heart of our impactful work in West Africa. Inclusive business, entrepreneurship and Innovation will deliver transformative impact and the Sankalp West Africa Summit is a great opportunity to meet promising impact enterprises and showcase adaptable, sustainable solutions to stimulate conversations, collaborations, innovation and investments. We believe in the power of partnerships to deliver real, inclusive and transformative impact.' Another key part of the summit is the Sankalp West Africa Awards which aims to recognize and reward high impact enterprises. Five finalists from key impact sectors will pitch their enterprises and to a jury panel comprising of eminent business leaders and three will get the opportunity to highlight their journey of impact at the Summit as they win the prestigious awards for their outstanding ideas. Sankalp Forum was initiated in India in 2009 by Intellecap, part of the Aavishkaar Group, to create a thriving ecosystem for business-led inclusive developments.
Source: Ghana News Agency