The British Council in Ghana, in collaboration with the internet service provider iBurst Africa, has launched an award to develop the potential of Ghana’s young communications entrepreneurs.

It is part of the International Young Communications Entrepreneur Award (IYCE), which seeks to celebrate the achievements of young, creative entrepreneurs in emerging markets across the world.

The British Council in Ghana says the judges are looking for a passionate communications entrepreneur who is looking to broaden his or her horizons and to develop a network.

The selected individual will represent Ghana and compete with finalists from other countries across the globe. They will also get a chance to visit the UK for a 10-12 day tour where they will learn more about the communications industry. The overall winner will take home £7 500 in cash to invest in his or her field of expertise.

According to the press release marking the launch of this programme, it aims to invest in building the skills of young entrepreneurs as well as unearthing creative talent. The winner receives support from the British Council and iBurst Africa to start up his or her own business.

iBurst Africa provides mobile broadband internet services in Africa and has been operating in Ghana since 2007.

Genevieve Mensah, IYCE Project Delivery Co-ordinator, says this award initiative will be a major boost to Ghana’s communications sector.

‘It will draw attention to the larger picture, beyond telecoms, and show how the talents in this area can contribute to the economy,’ she says.

There is huge potential for the internet and telephony to unleash Ghana’s development, because access to these technologies is still limited to a small percentage of the country’s population, according to the research consultancy BuddeComm.

Director British Council Ghana Moses Anibaba says the award aims to assist budding entrepreneurs to explore a variety of options available to them.

He says that both iBurst and the British Council believe that through this collaboration they will be helping to establish Ghana’s information and communications technology (ICT) sector.

‘ICT is a constant part of contemporary corporate and social lifestyle and the internet is the link between education, career and lifestyle,’ he says.

iBurst Africa’s country marketing manager, Ben Ofori, says: ‘It is the hope of iBurst Africa that through this partnership with the British Council, the winner of the IYCE award will be able to share the success story of Ghana’s development in the communications sector over the years to come.’

If you want to find out more about the IYCE award and when the applications open for next year, visit this page. To read more about British Council events and programmes please visit this page. Read our latest news here: News in Africa section.