Power To You(th) (Ghana Innovation Challenge)

  • Ahmed Saalim
  • Ghana
  • February 1, 2026

If you’ve enjoyed reading this case and want to dive deeper, we’d love to hear from you and we will connect you with relevant designers like the team, who worked on this project Contact Us

 

 

Situation

Despite strong constitutional and policy frameworks in Ghana, most young people—especially adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), persons with disabilities and uneducated youth—remain excluded from district-level governance processes. Field research in Mion, Tamale Metro, Kpandai and Nanumba South revealed extremely low awareness of rights to participate in Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly (MMDA) meetings. Language barriers, low institutional capacity and entrenched norms further marginalize youth voices.

Assignment

The design challenge asked: How might we effectively engage young people—especially AGYW and marginalized groups—to participate in annual district planning and review meetings so they can influence projects and decisions that affect their lives? Proportion’s task was to guide design research, co-create solutions with communities and develop an inclusive engagement model.

Approach

Following an HCD sensitization for PtY staff, an Innovation Team led field research with youth, duty bearers, MMDAs and CSOs to uncover motivations and barriers. Insights shaped a three-day design sprint, producing and prototyping multiple concepts. “YouthaTalk” emerged as the strongest solution and was refined through rapid user testing. A pitch deck secured selection as one of the top three innovations across six PtY country programs. Pilot preparation is underway in three Northern Ghana communities

Result

YouthaTalk introduces a structured, locally adapted mechanism enabling youth to participate meaningfully in assembly committees and community-decision platforms. With MMDAs and CSOs as patrons, it strengthens representation of AGYW, PWDs and ethnic minorities while building youth capacity for joint reflection and advocacy. The process also deepened HCD capabilities within the PtY Ghana team, enhancing future governance and participation initiatives.