The New Africa Foundation has launched an innovative learning initiative to encourage university students to be entrepreneurs, foster leadership and create wealth. The initiative, christened: ' The University Challenge', is a 10-13 week inter-university competition designed to recruit brains from selected universities across the country to brainstorm and execute solutions to real life challenges in society. The concept is to encourage students to embark on business ventures before completing their degree certificates, a statement from the Foundation to the Ghana News Agency, said. 'The initiative is expected to promote the establishment of a comprehensive network platform across all universities, allowing students to recognise the potential of their peers prior to degree acquisition,' the statement said. The initiative, the statement said, would encourage students to creatively build businesses and create a robust network within the university ecosystem. 'The Challenge spans beyond the traditional acade mic realm, extending from the development of effective governance structures to the establishment of thriving businesses and industrial platforms.' The statement said the initiative sought to redefine the purpose of higher education and empower students to become not just job-seekers, but creators of economic opportunities and leaders in their fields. Participants of the Challenge are to form a team of three or five to develop an incubator for theoretical solutions and apply them to real world problems. A participant must be a student of any of the selected schools working with the Foundation and selected by the scouting team as an eligible candidate during the casting sessions. 'Participant must be smart, entrepreneurial, solutions oriented, a team player, and a leader, and be selected amongst the top five to earn a spot in the team which will represent the school,' the statement said. Prospective participants are to follow Challenge on social media, or look out for information on the casting sessions i n their schools. They are also to join the auditions, impress the scouts and win their spot on the school team. The statement said an amount of GHc 50,000 mobilisation funds would be allocated to each team, with a justification of the use of the money. The prize money for the winner of the competition is GHc 1,000,000.00. The competitors would have the opportunity to do their incubation or internships with the Foundation. Source: Ghana News Agency
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