CONFERENCE & YOUTH AGRO-FOOD SYSTEMS FAIR

1^st-4^th September, 2026

UESD Multipurpose Auditorium

Conference Theme: Environmental Contamination and Agri-Food Systems in Ghana: Threats and Opportunities from a Multi-Stakeholder Perspective

1.     Introduction & Background

Global and local agri-food systems face severe disruptions from environmental contamination. Anthropogenic activities—such as illegal artisanal gold mining (galamsey), unsustainable chainsaw logging, excessive and inappropriate agrochemical application, and untreated municipal/industrial waste discharge—rapidly erode agricultural land and poison vital water bodies that serves millions of the population. These challenges directly undermine United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action).

While developed economies manage these vulnerabilities through rigorous environmental impact assessments, strict chemical caps, traceability systems, and institutionalized rehabilitation obligations, Ghana’s agro-ecosystem faces weak regulatory enforcement and high post-harvest losses (averaging 30% to 50%). Policy framework for managing post-harvest loses or agro-waste contribute to the environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emission. 

However, this ecological crisis presents a unique structural opportunity for researchers to investigate and develop solution, youth entrepreneurs to showcase their innovations. Creating policy framework that promote shifting from a linear economic model to a circular economy in the agrifood system, these threats can be transformed into viable commercial enterprises. This unified event brings together researchers, policymakers, smallholder cooperatives, market aggregators, and youth-led enterprises to establish market linkages, unlock green finance, and scale up youth-led innovation in agro-processing and aquaculture.

The University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) Annual Sustainable Development Conference has served as a premier national platform for advancing scholarly dialogue, policy engagement, and practical solutions since its inception in September 2021. For the 2026 edition, UESD is merging its traditional academic conference with the NKABOM Collaborative-UESD Integration Framework and the Youth Agro-Food Systems & Aquaculture Fair Proposal. This consolidation bridges the gap between high-level scientific research, policy dialogue and youth entrepreneurship networking.

2.     Strategic Event Objectives

1. Advance Scholarly and Policy Dialogue: Convene multidisciplinary researchers and policymakers to produce an actionable national policy brief addressing environmental contamination and agricultural resilience.
2. Foster Multi-Stakeholder Market Linkages: Connect at least 25 youth-led agro-food/aquaculture enterprises directly with 15+ impact investors, institutional off-takers, and commercial aggregators.
3. Incubate and Reward Youth Innovation: Provide a live pitching platform for student groups and young agripreneurs, offering seed capital funding, institutional mentorship, and acceleration tracks via the NKABOM Collaborative.
4. Promote Technical Capacity Building: Deliver specialized masterclasses on international phytosanitary standards to assist local enterprises in upgrading their operations from raw primary farming to high-value, contamination-free processing.

3.     Thematic Sub-Tracks for Presentations and Exhibitions:

• Track 1: Soil Degradation, Ecotoxicology and Remediation
  • Focus: Assessing the footprint of galamsey and environmental contamination on arable soils, water bodies, heavy metal bioaccumulation in food crops, and low-cost nature-based solutions (e.g., phytoremediation, microbial inoculants).
• Track 2: Agrochemical Governance, Agrifood Systems, Food Safety, and Public Health Standards
  • Focus: Mitigating pesticide and fertilizer misuse, eliminating aflatoxins, and scaling up the field-testing of rapid diagnostic tools for farm-gate certification.
• Track 3: The Circular Economy and Agro-Waste Valorisation
  • Focus: Transforming agricultural processing bi-products (e.g., cassava peels, palm oil effluents) into bio-energy, high-protein animal feed, and biochar organic fertilizers.
• Track 4: Aquaculture Value-Chain Resilience and Smart Logistics
  • Focus: Overcoming infrastructure bottlenecks for youth fish-farmers through solar-powered cold-storage hubs and water systems, localized feed formulation, and water quality monitoring.
• Track 5: Inclusive Policy, Green Finance, and Market Integration
  • Focus: Harmonizing regulatory frameworks (FDA, GSA, EPA, MoFA), unlocking low-interest credit lines for young agripreneurs, and navigating phytosanitary barriers under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
• Track 6: Technological Solutions and Innovation for Water and Soil Restoration

4.     Core Components of Conference

·       Scientific Research Presentations

Peer-reviewed academic papers and case studies will be presented across parallel technical tracks. Unlike traditional research structures, these sessions will focus on translating scientific findings into practical business applications for the exhibitors.

·       Youth Agro-Food & Aquaculture Exhibition

Running continuously across the 3-day event in the UESD Multipurpose Building Forecourt, this commercial marketplace allows young agribusinesses to showcase processed goods, sustainable tech pilots, and aquaculture systems directly to the public and private procurement agents.

·       Innovation Pitch Competition

A multi-stage pitch competition evaluating student innovators and young agripreneurs. Finalists will pitch to an expert jury of scientists and venture capitalists based on technical sustainability and commercial scalability. Winning teams will receive seed funding certificates and incubation support.

·       The B2B Investor Matchmaking Lounge

A quiet, dedicated networking space equipped with internet access, designed to facilitate structured contract negotiations, equity investment deals, and distribution agreements between private funders and exhibiting entrepreneurs.

5.     Target Audience & Stakeholder Matrix

Stakeholder Group	Strategic Role in the Event	Expected Outcomes
Government Agencies (MoFA, MESTI, EPA, FDA, GSA)	Deliver policy direction, launch regulatory frameworks, and assess standard compliance.	Unified enforcement paths; enhanced public-private regulatory collaboration.
Academic Researchers & Student Groups	Present empirical data, submit scientific papers, and showcase prototype innovations.	Peer-reviewed publications; transition from research concepts to commercial spin-offs.
Youth Agripreneurs & Cooperatives	Mount commercial exhibition booths, pitch business scaling models, and network.	Secured off-taker agreements, equity funding injections, and peer-to-peer partnerships.
Impact Investors & Commercial Banks	Audit pitch rounds, judge exhibition standards, and evaluate financial viability.	Deployment of green funds and low-interest credit lines into verified clean value chains.
Civil Society & Market Associations	Mediate grassroots consumer demands and advocate for food safety and traceability.	Heightened public awareness and structured accountability for watershed protection.
USED Partners and Nkabom Collaborative	Contribute to conference and showcase their project outcomes.	Nkabom collaborative showcased, and UESD partners contribute to policy.

6.     Expected Impacts and Conference Outputs

• Policy Advancement: Publication of a formal Conference Communiqué and actionable Policy Brief delivered to sector ministries to shape national guidelines on land reclamation and food chain safety.
• Commercial Seed Funding: Allocation of direct financial grants and technical support packages to the top winners of the Innovation Pitch.
• Enterprise Scaling: Creation of measurable supply contracts between youth-led cooperatives and international off-takers under AfCFTA protocols.
• Institutional Integration: Strengthening the partnership between UESD and the NKABOM Collaborative (encompassing McGill University and Ghanaian institutional partners) to enhance the university’s role as a primary driver of sustainable regional development.

• Naturae of Collaboration

The strategic collaboration between the Conference Planning Committee and the UESD-Nkabom Collaborative serves as the operational and intellectual anchor for the 3-day event, effectively bridging the gap between academic discourse and market-driven execution. While the Conference Planning Committee provides the institutional framework, logistical coordination, and rigorous quality control for the scientific research presentations, the UESD-Nkabom framework injects vital value-addition by embedding practical entrepreneurship, commercial viability, and multi-stakeholder networking into the traditional conference structure. This partnership shifts the event’s output from passive academic consumption to active enterprise development by designing dedicated spaces for the Youth Agro-Food Systems Fair, facilitating high-stakes B2B investor matchmaking, and establishing the structured Innovation Pitch Competition. Ultimately, by combining scientific paper presentations with real-world policy issues through policy dialogue. This collaborative alliance ensures that the conference does not merely diagnose environmental threats in Ghana’s agrifood systems, but actively incubates, funds, and scales-up youth-led, contamination-free agribusiness solutions for the sector.

8.     Organizational Information

• Proposed Venue: Main Auditorium, Seminar Rooms, and Multipurpose Forecourt, UESD Campus, Somanya, Ghana.
• Duration: Three (3) Full Days.
• Strategic Tagline: Transforming Environmental Challenges into Sustainable Agri-Food and Youth Enterprise Opportunities.
• Reporting Authority: Prepared by the Joint Conference Organizing Committee, Entrepreneur lead & Training Coordinator for NKABOM Collaborative-UESD.

 

• Budgets

Summary Budget

S/N	Focus Area	Total Budget (GHS)
1	6th Sustainable Development Conference	35,823.33
2	Youth Agri-food systems fair and enterprise development	91,960.00
3	Policy Dialogue
4	Total

Youth Agri-food systems fair and enterprise development

S/N	Item	Description	Quantity	Unit Cost (GHS)	Total
1	Booths	Exhibition structures	30	500	15,000.00
2	Venue setup	Setup and décor of event venue	1	5000	5,000.00
3	Tables	Seating arrangements at Booths	30	800	24,000.00
4	Chairs	Seating arrangements at Booths	60	50	3,000.00
5	Sound System	Public Address system	2	2,500	5,000.00
6	Publicity	Banners & signage	2	2000	4,000.00
7	Printing	Brochures	20	100	2,000.00
8	Refreshments	Water & snacks (3 days)	210	40	8,400.00
9	Phone credit	Phone calls to follow up on invited dignitaries & Participants	1	200	200.00
10	Media coverage	Coverage of event – Radio & TV	1	4000	4,000.00
11	Transportation	Logistics	1	3000	3,000.00
12	Honorarium	Honorarium for dignitaries	10	1000	10,000.00
	Total				83,600.00
13	Contingency (10%)			0.1	8,360.00
	Grand Total				91,960.00

2026 Sustainable Development Conference Budget
Item	No. of Days	Quantity	Unit Price (GHS)	GHS
Hotel Accommodation for Keynote Speaker	2	1	250.00	500.00
Honourarium for Keynote Speaker	2	1	1,666.67	3,333.33
Snack Break	2	60	50.00	6,000.00
Lunch	2	60	80.00	9,600.00
Prininting of Banners	1	3	500.00	1,500.00
Name tags	1	60	30.00	1,800.00
Conference Bags	1	60	50.00	3,000.00
Water for participants	2	240	3.00	1,440.00
Sub-Total				27,173.33
Transportation of participants from Hotel to Conference venue	Lumpsum		1,000.00	1,000.00
Transport for Press (four media houses)	1	4	400.00	1,600.00
Batteries for microphones (packs)	1	3	50.00	150.00
Hiring of Microphones	2	2	125.00	500.00
Decorations	1	1	1,000.00	1,000.00
Phone credit for Committee members	1	12	200.00	2,400.00
Miscillaneous				2,000.00
Sub-Total				8,650.00
Total Budget				35,823.33

 

DAY 1: THE DISCOURSE — Opening, High-Level Policy Panels & Exhibition Launch

Focus: Setting the macro-context, diagnosing the environmental contamination landscape (galamsey, agrochemicals), launching the corporate exhibition, and creating policy-to-practice interfaces.

Time	Session / Activity	Description / Key Focus	Venue
08:30 AM – 09:00 AM	Registration & Delegate Arrival	Assignment of youth enterprise exhibition booths; distribution of materials.	Main Foyer of Multipurpose Auditorium
09:00 AM – 10:00 AM	Opening Ceremony & Institutional Welcome	Welcome address by UESD Vice-Chancellor; Solidarity message from NKABOM Collaborative; UESD Partners  Keynote address by sector Ministers (MESTI/MoFA/FDA/NDPC).	Multipurpose Auditorium
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM	Official Ribbon-Cutting & Exhibition Launch	Dignitaries, institutional partners, and investors officially open the Youth Agro-Food & Aquaculture Enterprises, Nkabom Collaborative Exhibition.	Multipurpose Forecourt
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM	Health Break & Guided Exhibition Tour	Structured networking over refreshments; dignitaries tour youth stalls.	Exhibition Area
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM	Plenary Session 1: The Galamsey & Chemical Contamination Crisis	Academic presentations and stakeholder debates on environmental contamination and agrifood systems and – illegal mining, heavy metal contamination, and food safety standards.	Multipurpose Auditorium
12:30 PM – 01:30 PM	Lunch Break & Exhibition Viewing	Open-air lunch, informal networking, and public viewing of products.	Exhibition Area
01:30 PM – 03:30 PM	Parallel Presentation Tracks (Session A)	Track 1: Soil degradation, heavy metals, and remediation in mining enclaves.   Track 2: Agrochemical misuse, pesticide residues, and food safety.	Auditorium /   Seminar Room 1
03:30 PM – 04:30 PM	Multi-Stakeholder Panel: Bridging the policy and Regulatory Gap	Policy Dialogue with FDA, GSA, EPA, MoFA, and Market Queen Associations on food traceability and standard enforcement.	Multipurpose Auditorium
04:30 PM – 05:00 PM	Day 1 Wrap-up & B2B Matchmaking	Summary of day-one outcomes and matching entrepreneurs with potential off-takers.	Multipurpose Auditorium

DAY 2: THE INNOVATION — Technical Papers, Market Linkages & Pitch Preliminaries

Focus: Deep-diving into post-harvest solutions, circular economy opportunities, aquaculture value chains, and launching the youth innovation elevator pitches.

Time	Session / Activity	Description / Key Focus	Venue
08:30 AM – 09:00 AM	Morning Coffee & Recap	Brief overview of Day 1 conclusions; opening of exhibition gates.	Multipurpose Auditorium
09:00 AM – 10:30 AM	Plenary Session 2: Post-Harvest & Aquaculture Linkages	Lead presentations on agricultural by-products valorisation, solar-powered cold chains, and addressing infrastructure gaps for youth.	Multipurpose Auditorium
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM	Morning Tea Break & Networking	Interactive peer engagement and business networking.	Exhibition Area
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM	Parallel Presentation Tracks (Session B)	Track 3: Circular economy models (waste-to-energy/fertilizer).   Track 4: Aquaculture value-chain resilience, water quality, and local feed. Track 6: Technological Solutions and Innovation for Water and Soil Restoration	Multipurpose Auditorium /   Seminar Room 1
12:30 PM – 01:30 PM	Lunch Break & Peer Networking	Peer-to-peer business modelling exchanges among agripreneurs.	Exhibition Area
01:30 PM – 03:30 PM	Innovation Pitch Competition: Phase 1 (Elevator Pitches)	5 student groups and 25 youth-led agripreneurs deliver rapid concepts to a panel of technical experts and incubation mentors.	Multipurpose Auditorium
03:30 PM – 04:30 PM	Policy Dialogue (NKABOM-UESD)	Dialogue on agro-waste policy framework Nkabom collaborative, AGI, EPA, GSA, NGO	Multipurpose Auditorium
04:30 PM – 05:30 PM	An Evening with Investors: B2B Speed Dating	Structured networking cocktail session linking the 15+ impact investors directly with exhibiting enterprises.	Multipurpose Forecourt

 

DAY 3: THE ENTERPRISE — Deal Making, Final Pitches & Communiqué Signing

Focus: Closing financial deals, finalizing institutional frameworks, awarding winners of the pitch contest, and formatting the policy brief.

Time	Session / Activity	Description / Key Focus	Venue
08:30 AM – 09:00 AM	Exhibition Opening & Setup	Open doors for final day public trading and investor tours.	Multipurpose Forecourt
09:00 AM – 10:30 AM	Grand Finale: Youth Agro-Food System Pitch Competition	Top selected business finalists present scaled-up commercial models directly to venture capitalists and credit lenders for capital allocation.	Multipurpose Auditorium
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM	Networking Break & Final Booth Evaluation	Final judging of exhibition booths for enterprise development awards.	Exhibition Area
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM	Plenary Session 3: Financing Sustainable Agri-Food Ventures	Panel discussion with commercial banks, green funds, and development partners on unlocking low-interest credit for youth agribusinesses.	Multipurpose Auditorium
12:30 PM – 01:30 PM	Closing Lunch & Open-Air Interaction	Final day lunch and open networking across all stakeholder groups.	Exhibition Area
01:30 PM – 03:00 PM	Valedictory Session & Awards Ceremony	Distribution of seed capital certificates to pitch winners; recognition certificates presented to exhibitors and research associates.	Multipurpose Auditorium
03:00 PM – 04:00 PM	Presentation of Conference Communiqué & Policy Brief	Reading and official signing of the communiqué capturing actionable targets on environmental pollution control and youth market inclusion.	Multipurpose Auditorium
04:00 PM	Vote of Thanks & Closing	Official remarks by the organizing committee and formal adjournment.	Multipurpose Auditorium