Nokia graduates 11 Ghanaian student companies from enterprise programme

Eleven companies formed by Ghanaian students in various schools across the country have successfully graduated from Nokia’s Enterprise without Borders (EwB) programme Saturday July 16, 2011 in Accra.

The EwB which is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) of Nokia in Ghana, teaches the value and importance of international trade to students in secondary schools and colleges.

It is designed to give students running mini-companies the opportunity to create cross border international partnerships with their peers and to gain the practical skills necessary to do business across borders.

The programme, which runs yearly and is coordinated by the Junior Achievement (JA) Club in Ghana, saw students from nine second-cycle schools being honoured.

Giant Links, a student company from the Ghana Secondary Technical School (GSTS) was named the overall best company for the year 2011 at the graduation ceremony.

They were able to transact business with some European companies in Portugal, Norway, among others.

Other companies, which took part in the programme, were from the Adisadel College, St. Augustine’s College, Opoku Ware School, Accra Academy, the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (AITI-KACE) and the Holy Trinity Cathedral Senior High School, Mfantsipim School and Mfantsiman Girls Secondary School.

Mr. Jefferson Agbai, the Executive Director of JA, believes that the programme will prepare the students financially to start businesses on their own and also on the job market.

Head of Communications at Nokia West Africa, Mr. Osagie Ogunbor said the recent global economy demands that each individual should see him or herself as an entrepreneur.

“You can survive being an entrepreneur”, Mr Ogunbor told the over 50 beneficiaries of the EwB.

The Special Guest at the ceremony, Madam Dorothy Gordon, Director General at the Kofi Annan ICT Centre and a Board Member of Junior Achievement said the programme will be expanded to create more entrepreneurs in the country.

A mobile application version of the programme was launched at the event.

By Ekow Quandzie