What once required the physical presence of a number of people in particular location is now being accomplished through videoconferencing. Great thanks to the technological leaps of the past several years, any number of people can attend the same meeting from multipoint around the globe at any given time. Videoconferencing has turned the world into a virtual global village. Many nonpolitical nonprofit organizations operating Ghana, like World Partners for Development and Oiada International has conducted series of interactive videoconference programs designed to increase awareness and understanding between Ghana, the United States and other parts of the world.

On February 16, 2011, Her Excellency, First Lady of Ghana, Mrs. Ernestina Naadu Mills was honored to be the guest speaker in Ghana for a videoconference program between Ghana and U.S. schools. The first lady who is well known in the promotion of educational programs for humanity advised the participating students to be respectful to their peers, teachers, and society in order to build a better world around them. His Excellency Mr. Daniel Ohene Agyekum, the Ghanaian ambassador to the United States, introduced the first lady of Ghana via videoconference at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, USA. Speakers at the U.S. conference were Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, and Pastor Marvin L. Winans, the grammy-winning artist of the famed “Winans” gospel group and chancellor of The Marvin L. Winans Academy of the Performing Arts.

Oiada International and its corporate sponsors Polycom, Vodafone and the United Distance Learning Association (UDLA) hosted this great event at the National Museum of African Art/Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC and the W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture in Accra, Ghana. The goal of the event is to celebrate African and African American’s history and culture on an international platform and introduce the program to officials that can help implement the program throughout both countries. School Without Walls, New Hope Academy, E.L. Haynes Public Charter School, The Patriots Technology Training Center, and representatives from other organizations like Ubuntu Management Consulting attended the event live at the Smithsonian. Students from The Marvin L. Winans Academy of the Performing Arts in Detroit, Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama, Essex County College from Newark, NJ participated via telepresence. From Ghana, students from the Mate Maise School from Cape Coast and many other schools and organizations participated in this celebratory event. There were questions and answers on education and culture between the U.S. and their Ghanaian peers.

The Founder and the Executive Director of World Partners for Development (WPD), Philip Darko, who recently received a top program award from the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy for his outstanding programs in citizen diplomacy between Ghana and other parts of the world through videoconferencing also attended the event live at the Smithsonian with his board member Daniel Boateng. WPD has linked many Ghana schools to the global world in videoconference programs including: Broadway on the Color Purple, and World Science Fair with Dr. John Mather, Noble Prize winner for Physics, 2006. Individuals, organizations and schools from Ghana or any part of the world may collaborate or join our high definition videoconference programs from their computers to discuss some solutions to create awareness and life improvement in the global world. Learn more at www.wpdprojects.org or email via info@wpdprojects.org.

wpd media, USA