A Petrochemical Engineering graduate of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) secured her first funding of over $14,000 in 2024 after years of pitching to funders.

Roselyn Aboagyewah Ntim has since developed “Rapid Dry,” a hybrid solar-and-electric grain dryer designed to help smallholder farmers overcome post-harvest losses.

The current version of Rapid Dry is a prototype, which has been tested with smallholder farmers on the UMaT campus.

It has the capacity to dry up to 50kg of food in just an hour, offering farmers a faster, more efficient solution compared to traditional drying methods.

Ms Ntim is now awaiting the grant to scale up production and make the technology widely accessible to farming communities.

Sharing her journey “from rejection to resilience” at the African Youth Conference on Natural Resources and Environmental Governance, Roselyn set the stage for a panel conversation on Unlocking Climate and Green Finance for Youth-led Solutions.

Roselyn Ntim’s journey from crushing lows to a celebrated success story is a testament to her personal resilience, but it also highlights the critical role of institutional support.

She honed the skills needed to turn her passion into a fundable project through capacity-building programs run by the Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) Ghana, organisers of the African Youth Conference on Natural Resources and Environmental Governance.

Chibeze Ezekiel, Executive Coordinator at SYND Ghana, said, “At SYND Ghana, we are committed to equipping young leaders like Roselyn with the practical skills they need, but often lack, whether it’s navigating complex proposal requirements, developing financial projections, or effectively pitching ideas to funders and influencing environmental governance.”

With support from the Ford Foundation, SYND Ghana’s work is making an impact on young people across Africa, creating spaces and platforms for them to lead in driving sustainable resource governance and climate justice.

Delivering a solidarity message at the conference, Dr ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye, Regional Director, Ford Foundation office of West Africa, urged African youth to take charge of natural resource governance, describing them as the “power in the room today” driving a new era of environmental stewardship.

You are not just participants in the struggle for climate change and sustainable resource governance,” she said.

“You are trailblazers… your work matters, your leadership matters, and the world is watching with hope”. She added, “We are not here to dictate solutions but to stand as allies, amplifying your voices, resourcing your ideas, and walking with you.”

Roselyn’s success story, alongside the testimonies of other youth participants, underscores the message of the conference: with resilience, skills, and the right support, young Africans can lead the transformation of natural resource governance across the continent.