Four Ghanaian universities have advanced to the finals of the Zain Africa Challenge International Championship. They are the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Valley View University, University of Development Studies(UDS) and the University of Ghana(UG). This is the second time the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is taking part in this competition and the University of Ghana (UG) is the only new entrant to join the universities to represent Ghana at the Zain Africa Challenge International Championship & Festival in Kampala, Uganda 2010. The display of intellectual prowess was witnessed during Ghana’s second edition of the Zain Africa Challenge held at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel with seven of the country’s finest universities battling it out for the chance to compete with other qualifying African Universities in the final tournament. The Zain Africa Challenge is the first ever televised Pan African academic competition among students competing from registered universities within Africa. These include Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. According to a statement issued by Zain Ghana, "the objective of this initiative is to develop the intellect of Africa’s youth and highlight the excellent educational opportunities that African Universities offer to its citizens." All the contenders are quizzed in a fast paced environment that leaves no room for error. “Zain will be awarding 50,000 USD to the winning University and 5,000 USD to the student contestants, which is part of the company’s 1,000,000 USD total investment in cash, educational grants and teaching materials,” The questions in the fast-paced quiz programme cover a wide range of topical areas including: history, science, African culture, geography, literature, music and current events. Last year, the University of Cape Coast made it to the finals. Unfortunately, along with the University of Mines, Tarkwa and University of Education, Winneba, they did not qualify this year despite impressive performances. Zain Africa Challenge is one of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of the Zain Group. According to the statement "education of the youth of any nation is paramount to the development of the country." As a result, Zain is focusing on education, arts and culture and as such has pledged to develop the minds of the youth through non- conventional but fun activities, events and programmes. In an opening statement at the beginning of the tournament, the Manager for Corporate Communications and External Affairs, Carmen Bruce-Annan stated, “Zain is committed to boosting the quality of education in Ghana. This competition is established to sharpen the brain power and intellect of our students”. By: Dorcas Efe Mensah/myjoyonline.com/Ghana