Social Innovation in Accra, Ghana

As I write this blog entry in an internet cafe in the Osu district of Accra, Ghana, I am surprised of the level of development this country has progressed within the last decade.  Accra is a bustling city filled with innovation, yet not immune to massive infrastructure problems. The power is inconstant and traffic is horrendous at sporadic times during the day. However, there are many signs of dramatic economic progress in the country, which I witnessed first hand after meeting with the executive Secretary to the President of Ghana, Dr. Raymond Atuguba.

The reason for my visit was premised on the organization I helped lead, the Student Consulting International Organization.  This year's project was based on improving health care throughout the country of Ghana. By partnering with an impact investing firm, Golden Palm Investments, along with a large healthcare chain, Rabito Health, we developed an investment and expansion strategy for the organization. Furthermore, we recommended a strategy to develop a Dermatology Training Institute in Accra.

Ghana leads the world in per capita skin-related deaths.  The need for dermatologists in west Africa is staggering, as is the lack of medical training.  The problem we face in Ghana is twofold. According to the latest WHO data, the age-adjusted skin disease death rate in Ghana is 15.83 per 100,000 people, making it the #1 country in the world for incidence of skin disease deaths. Although a lot of the victims live in Ghana’s biggest cities, a number live in rural areas and suffer from different diseases requiring different care. The skin disease problematic is compounded by a lack of domestically trained and capable Ghanaian dermatologists who stay to work in their home country.

The Dermatology Training Institute is designed to provide Dermatological training and certification through a two or four year program for aspiring clinicians in Ghana. The two-year certificate degree will graduate clinical officers in dermatology, and the four-year Master’s degree will graduate certified dermatologists. There will be a number of clinics, especially in rural areas, and graduates from said clinics can seek employment at the co-owned Rabito clinics.

As I board a flight back to the US, I am reminded of how much sustainable social innovation is needed in developing countries such as Ghana. Walking the markets is only one example of how innovation is required for economic growth. Once a vendor notices an increase demand for a particular product, they immediately switch to supplying that product.  Very quickly you are walking through a market with everyone selling the same product. Diversification and differentiation is not embraced by vendors only because of rapidly changing demand cycles. However, the desire to improve current living conditions is apparent when talking to locals.  They envision Ghana as the leading country from an economic development standpoint of all of West Africa.  In 2011, Ghana experienced a GDP growth of 14%, one of the highest growth rates in the world. I strongly believe that this country can continue to experience such high growth levels only if it continues to innovate. Combating pollution, the lack of education and healthcare will require social innovation  to break the status quo.  The private sector needs to work with the public sector in order to create this innovation, and my visit to the Presidents office was critical for our innovation to come to fruition.