UN Global Compact Network Ghana Hosts Final Solutions Showcase to Advance SDG Innovation

The United Nations Global Compact Network Ghana held the Final Solutions Showcase for the SDG Innovation Accelerator for Young Professionals at the ISSER Conference Hall, University of Ghana, on 16 October 2025.

The event held in Accra marked the culmination of months of intensive work aimed at fostering bottom-up innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Showcase provided a platform for 29 young professionals to present breakthrough solutions that combine social impact with business value, while cultivating a new generation of sustainability-driven leaders in the corporate sector.

Earlier this year, eight companies—GlobalNet Procurement Limited, KEK Insurance Brokers Ltd., Jospong Group of Companies, The Ghana Chamber of Mines, Absa Bank Ghana, Consolidated Bank Ghana, Ghana Manganese Company Ltd., and Fidelity Bank Ghana—joined the 2025 edition of the UN Global Compact SDG Innovation Accelerator for Young Professionals.

Over a four-month period, young professionals from these organizations, referred to as Innovators, identified key sustainability challenges within their companies and worked collaboratively to design innovative, market-ready solutions aligned with the SDGs. Among these showscases include a presentation by the Ghana Chamber of Mines exhibiting a scalable electronic waste (e-waste) recycling program for the mining industry in Ghana. For Fidelity Bank Ghana, it was an AI Powered banking tool called OrangeLed to bridge the gap between customer sophistication and infrastructure readiness.

The process encouraged participants to rethink traditional business models, create more sustainable products and services, and integrate environmental and social considerations into corporate strategy.

The Final Solutions Showcase, open to participants aged 35 and under, provided Innovators with an opportunity to present their projects, receive expert feedback, and engage with peers and sustainability leaders.

Following the national round, Absa Bank Ghana was selected to represent Ghana at the 2025 UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in New York, where they showcased their solution, Spark (a digital bank account and mobile wallet used by customers on smartpones), on a global stage among peers from other UN Global Compact networks.

The SDG Innovation Accelerator for Young Professionals is a global initiative of the United Nations Global Compact, designed to empower emerging leaders to develop, test, and scale innovative business solutions that directly support the achievement of the SDGs.

Through hands-on learning, mentorship, and cross-sector collaboration, participants gain the tools and mindset to drive change within their organizations — bridging the gap between sustainability ambition and practical action.

“The Accelerator demonstrates that young professionals are not just future leaders — they are today’s innovators,” said Tolu Kweku Lacroix, Executive Director of UN Global Compact Network Ghana. “Empowering them to integrate sustainability and innovation will enhance business efforts to add great value while promoting Global Goals in meaningful ways.”

The SDG Innovation Accelerator is a flagship UN Global Compact program designed for companies participating in the Global Compact network. The initiative equips young professionals with the skills and knowledge to transform sustainability challenges into business opportunities through cutting-edge technologies, creative thinking, and sustainable business models.