Navigating your career path can be such an arduous task. What if you could have tailored guidance, talk to someone who has walked a similar path, and see exactly who you want to be? The cherry on top! This person is delighted to share their journey with you. That is what Inspire 2026 was designed for, and that is exactly what was achieved.

Inspire 2026 was a one-day immersive workshop for young women in science (ages 19-25), to provide mentorship and career direction, training on how to use LinkedIn for professional visibility, and deliver a hands-on approach to scientific problem-solving and science communication. The program was curated and convened by Maame Ekua Acquah as a legacy initiative of her L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Sub-Saharan Young Talents Award 2025.

This award recognises women across the continent for their scientific brilliance. Beyond recognition, the award provides endowments and a transformative leadership program. Maame Ekua, having participated in such a life-changing event, decided she would fully embody the award's mission: The world needs Science and Science needs women. Thus, she committed part of her award funds to the execution of Inspire 2026.

The event, held on 2nd May, 2026 at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, brought together 20 selected participants, 9 mentors, partners, sponsors and collaborators.

The morning session, exquisitely moderated by Mr Dei as master of the ceremony, opened with a prayer by Ms Mabel Quarshie and a welcome address, followed by a snapshot of Maame's journey and how Inspire 2026 became a significant milestone. Next was the Inspirational keynote beautifully delivered by Prof. Lydia Mosi, who also shared her journey, how to choose your path, overcoming challenges, finding and creating opportunities, and thriving as a woman in STEM.

Since Inspire 2026 was designed to go beyond a one-day experience, the next talk was from Joyful Journey Career Counselling and Mentorship Institute, which offered continued mentorship after the program. Partners who had graciously supported the Inspire 2026 initiative, Ms Yaa Anima Opare, from Women in Nuclear and the Department of Nuclear Engineering- Penn State University, and Ms Dora Okyere, from Inqaba Biotech, delivered solidarity messages. The morning session concluded with mentor introductions, during which each mentor shared nuggets from their career experience and expressed their enthusiasm for the afternoon session, where they would meet participants one-on-one.

The afternoon session began with an exciting icebreaker, followed by commemorative photos and a refreshing snack break (Sponsored by Aquafresh, producers of Kalyppo and Frutelli).

Participants were tasked with writing 1-3 words to describe what mentorship meant to them, finding other participants who had used similar words to create peer engagement, and then grouping and explaining why they chose the words they selected.

Next up was one of the highlights of the event: a talk on using LinkedIn as a tool for professional visibility, powerfully delivered virtually by Ms Akweley Okai. If you were in the room and didn't have a LinkedIn profile, you would have signed up immediately. She debunked many misconceptions and shared strategies to make using LinkedIn significantly easier for participants.

Imagine you had only three minutes to talk to someone who could change the trajectory of your entire career. This was an amazing speed mentorship session moderated by Mr Reginald Wotse and Mr Francisco Xavier Grant. Both participants and mentors were fully engaged, and switching after the bell rang was a bit challenging given the level of engagement, but the moderators handled it excellently.

The day closed with a collaborative group activity in which participants showcased their problem-solving skills and science communication by developing a strategy for a three-tiered challenge: pandemic, climate change, and disruption in global supply chains. After defending their strategies, participants were guided by Dr Lily Paemka on what they did well and what they could have done better.

The event closed with a participant survey led by Mr Frank Aboagye. It was clear that Inspire 2026 had achieved its purpose, and everyone is hoping for another edition next year.

Perhaps an Inspire 2027?

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Maame Ekua Acquah is a PhD student in the Mosi Research Group at the Department for Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Ghana.