ghana think tank

Global network | International public art and civic engagement

Mission

To “develop the First World” by flipping traditional power dynamics—collecting social problems from communities in developed countries and sending them to citizen think tanks in the Global South to devise solutions, which are then implemented back home.

Why It Matters

Ghana ThinkTank addresses the imbalance of who defines expertise and innovation. By inverting the typical flow of international aid and development, it highlights the value of local knowledge in non-Western contexts. Its process encourages cross-cultural empathy, reframes power structures, and challenges assumptions rooted in colonial and technocratic mindsets.

Relevant to The Change Lab

Ghana ThinkTank exemplifies The Change Lab’s mission to build belonging and expand the circle of human concern.

• Belonging: Elevates perspectives from historically excluded communities and ensures they are heard and respected.

• Civic Engagement: Engages everyday people in democratic problem-solving across international and cultural boundaries.

• Empathy: Facilitates connection through listening, storytelling, and mutual solution-building.

• Shared Power: Actively shifts decision-making authority to the margins.

• Bridging Divides: Brings together unlikely collaborators—suburban Americans, Moroccan artisans, Syrian refugees—to address shared challenges.

Key Focus Areas

• Public art & social practice

• Conflict transformation & civic dialogue

• Cross‑cultural civic engagement

• Systems change through grassroots empowerment

• Participatory innovation & community resilience