The landscape of Blended Knowledge Solutions has been espoused in an open access publication titled “Leadership in Independent Africa; Six Decades On: The Blended Representation Principle as a Cause for Afro-Optimism, “ London:: Zed Books, February 2024. See link below for the widget of book published under the Bloomsbury Open Acess Collection initiative. Click here
National Dialogue on the Blended Representation Principle (BRP) in Ghana. Click here to read more
Leadership in Independent Africa, Six Decades On: The Blended Representation Principle as a Cause for Afro-Optimism.
Click here to also watch the outcome of the event.
This is a Global leadership Program co-curricular event of NYU. Click here to read more
Click here to also watch the outcome of the event.
We believe that a Blended Representation
Principle of
Governance
holds the key to achieving the SDGs in Africa. Our work focus on advocacy, policy and
strategy for countries to adopt and utilize Blended Representation Principle (BRP) on the
ground.
BRP is a fusion of leadership systems (modern and indigenous) with the constitutional
mandate to rule and manage resources manifesting in the superior capability to communicate,
mobilize and organize for transformative development in a polity.
BRP connotes vertical blending whereby national leadership is determined by prevailing
partisan-based universal adult suffrage elections; and Local Government leadership determined by
indigenous leadership arrangements nurtured and guarded by the people for centuries and to
which they continue to ascribe (see pictorial illustration below).
The BRP Concept Note for Ghana
elaborates on the
rationale, design features and expected
outcomes of the proposed interventions.
Key Partnership Events
On March 13,2020, the A&A team made a presentation to the National House of Chiefs at its
General Meeting on “Blended Representation Principle: A potential solutions pathway to
Transformative Development in Ghana” (see
presentation).
RELATED ARTICLES
“Advocacy
on Implementing a “Blended Representation Principle” of Governance for an
effective Local Level of Administration in Ghana”; December 2019
“Consolidation
of Democracy in Ghana with Sub-National Administration Reforms”; January 2017
“Lessons of the 2008 Elections and suggested reform actions for building a more capable
nation state in Ghana”; January 2009
Strategic Communications Targets for this purpose include the:
- Political Class - Ruling Government, Opposition, Parliament, and the Judiciary
- Context Opinion Champions and Influencer Groups - National and Regional House of Chiefs, Council of State, Academia, Think-and-do Tanks, the Clergy, and Media.
- Policymakers, Implementors and Advisors – Civil, Public and Private Sector Institutions, Business Councils and Chamber of Commerce
- Civil Society, Citizens and Communities
- International Community – Bilateral and Multilateral
Africa
The Network tracks the Voluntary National Reporting for the SDGs in Africa, and provides an interactive repository for good practice exchanges and learning on the SDGs. (www.sdgafrica.org)
The Network is a leading source of Health and Wellness Services through an affiliate provider of blended knowledge healthy lifestyles and health care remedies in Ghana and beyond. (www.vnvhealthcare.com). Products and services are grounded in indigenous and modern medicinal knowledge and principles to serve clients and help them fulfil their health and wellness needs.
and Youth
The Network facilitates the creation and production of animated video games, learning and instructional materials based on blended knowledge for the education of kids and the youth of African heritage in Africa, the Diaspora and beyond. Indigenous African folklores, proverbs, wise sayings and stories are translated and transliterated into video games, learning and instructional materials in the genre of “Waka Waka Moo” created by Namibian model Luis Munana (http://waka-waka.com)
This is an agro-based activity tailored to support communities and provide numerous jobs/employment opportunities for the many idle and vulnerable youths and young adults in the country. It is a concept of transforming small scale agriculture into highly attractive and profitable businesses covering the entire value chain of maximizing production, use and consumption of food crops, fruits, fisheries and livestock.
The StP lens means that business service facilities (BSFs) are created to provide assistance in the case of food crops, for example, for seed lots, land preparation, tilling and nurturing, makeshift irrigation, harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, marketing and distribution for widespread internal uses and export. Same goes with the other product categories.
The small holder farmer in the various agriculture zones are the targets supported to maximize productivity in the products of choice within the space of cultivation. We believe the compendium skills, tools and equipment upgrade, retooling and automation regarding productivity capacity enhancement support services in the value chain will create myriad jobs and employment opportunities for the many youths and young adults able and willing to be engaged as private business owners and partners, and or formal employees of business services entities.
Key Elements of the StP Activity (Read More)
Designs
Network affiliates design and make blended knowledge-themed Jewelry, Apparel, Accessories, Decorative memorabilia and soft furnishings accessible worldwide. A tour of sites such as www.ebdesignplaza.com provides essential glimpses into the world of blended knowledge evocative fashion designs available and accessible worldwide.
The Network agenda entails providing advocacy, strategy and policy support to enable African countries voluntarily enact laws which would allow the movement of people, goods and services across borders to accelerate economic integration and trade. In collaboration with efforts spearheaded by Mauritius, the Network promotes partnership among like-minded countries on Talent mobility and skills development to accelerate economic integration, open borders, common policies / laws in Africa. The Partnership supports participating countries to address constraints on intra-African labor mobility and skills development gaps that seriously reduce Africa's attractiveness as an investment destination and related overall economic growth performance.
The Network provides technical guidance to African countries willing to engage
digitally their Diaspora for sustainable development in four interrelated areas:
(a) Telemedicine;
(b) Graduate Education;
(c) SME Equity Investments, and
(d)Hometown Associations and Community
sanitation interventions. Affiliates’ past experiential
engagements in these various areas under the facilitation support of the World Bank
Group ensures enviable trajectory of lessons and good practices which countries
could tap for solutions to specific needs as appropriate.
Advisory services on utilizing blended knowledge (indigenous and modern) for improved provisions and delivery of development solutions are proffered to clients in the aforementioned thematic areas viz:
- Governance – Blended Representation Principle
- Health and Wellness, Nutrition and Diets, Physical Workouts and Sanitation
- Animated Learning and Instructional Materials
- Seed to Plate Agriculture
- Labor and Talent mobility
- Technology for Engaging the African Diaspora Digitally for Sustainable Development,
- Housing and Related Household Products
The Network collaborates with affiliates to identify and define tailored financial instruments on case and needs basis for proffering solutions. The Network leverages the Financing for Development (FfD) discourse and efforts within the international community – Monterrey (2002), Doha (2008), Addis (2015), ECOSOC and related Forums to champion support for blended knowledge financing solutions (www.un.org / sustainable development / financing-for-development)
