The British Council, Ghana in partnership with the BlueCrest University College, has announced the successful graduation of 100 participants forming the first cohort from the Creative Economy E-learning programme.

The SoCreative Africa e-learning programme was launched in response to the rapid growth of the digital economy and the need for African youths to have the skills and knowledge to participate fully in the creative economy.

The programme which was delivered entirely online, offered participants the opportunity to learn about the creative economy and the frameworks required to establish themselves as successful entrepreneurs.

It also provided participants with access to a range of resources, including online courses, tutorials, and webinars while emphasising on the importance of creativity and innovative solutions to problems.

The graduation ceremony held on May 12, 2023 at the campus of BlueCrest College was a celebration of the hard work and dedication of the programme participants.

The ceremony was attended by the  Rector of BlueCrest College, Dr Sujith Jayaprakash; Mr Paul Akrofie, Associate Arts consultant at British Council Ghana; Mr Andrew Entsua-Mensah, project manager for Art, Culture, British Council Ghana; and Mr. Alfred Dumenyo, General manager of Odina Couture and industry partner to Bluecrest College.

Others were Ms. Henrietta Mensah, Head of Partnerships, Bluecrest College; Mr. Daniel Owusu, project manager, Bluecrest College; as well as trainers, family members and friends of the graduates.

The graduates were presented with certificates of completion and were congratulated on their achievement.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Rector of BlueCrest College, Dr. Sujith Jayaprakash thanked the Country Director of British Council Ghana for the partnership to develop skills of the youth in Ghana and for having faith in the College to deliver the programme. He said “though the whole world is running behind digital revolution, AI and so on, still some parts of Ghana lack critical access to internet and this being a online programme, some of you might have faced challenges, yet here you are with a sense of accomplishment”.

Mr. Paul Akrofie, speaking on behalf of British Council, praised the graduates for their commitment to the programme and their dedication to developing their skills.

He further stated, “Together British Council and Bluecrest College have provided you with the tools to succeed… remember to collaborate, leverage on your creative network and make positive impact. The creative economy evolves and you must keep up”

Odina Couture, an industry partner to the college encouraged the graduates and indicated its willingness to absolve some of the graduates as interns to acquire hands-on understanding of the business of fashion.

Ms. Justina Dela Edem speaking on behalf of the graduates attested she has benefitted immensely from lessons acquired from the program while mentioning that although it was challenging initially for her to complete due to ill health of her father, she is glad she put in her best to finish on time to graduate and she is confident she will excel as an upcoming fashion designer.

British Council and the BlueCrest University College are committed to continuing their partnership in supporting the development of African youths through this initiative to graduate the next cohort in the coming months.