Codeplex of Valley View University has emerged as winners of this year's Microsoft Ghana Imagine Cup competition. They will represent Ghana at the global competition in St Petersburg, Russia in July. The Imagine Cup competition forms part of Microsoft’s Youth Spark initiative, a student competition which centers on the use of imagination, creativity and technology to help solve some of the world’s toughest problems. Imagine Cup competition also serves as a platform for young entrepreneurs, innovators and developers to have the opportunity to develop an idea, create a product, set a clear business plan that can take their product onto market. A total of 12 teams from different universities across Ghana registered to contest, but Codeplex emerged as winners. The group designed an interactive device which is very useful in homes. Speaking at a press briefing in Accra over the weekend, Mr Yinka Oni, National Technology Officer for Microsoft Anglophone West Africa, said each team that competed in the regional finals deserved the highest recognition for their creativity and imagination. “We’re proud to honour Codeplex, who we believe truly exemplifies the spirit of the Imagine Cup competition, and we’ll be cheering team Codeplex on as they compete on the world stage in St Petersburg,” he said. He said Imagine Cup was directly aligned with the Microsoft 4 Afrika Initiative which was launched earlier this year aimed at driving access to technology, innovation and world-class skills. “We believe deeply that technology can accelerate growth for Africa, and Africa can also accelerate technology for the world, and we are honoured to engage with these young people to help bring their innovative ideas to fruition,” Mr Oni added. All Imagine Cup Worldwide Finalist teams are eligible to apply for Imagine Cup Grants, a three year 3 million dollar investment by Microsoft to help students turn their ideas into reality. More than 1.65 million students across the globe have participated in Imagine Cup over the past decade by creating applications and games that address the world’s toughest social problems.