The British Council has announced recipients of the global Study UK Alumni Awards 2019-20 at a ceremony in Accra.

In total, one UK Alumnus was recognised for his outstanding achievements on the Social Impact category and for his important contribution to strengthening collaborative ties between the UK and Ghana.

The prestigious international award celebrates UK higher education and the achievements of its alumni all over the world.

Now in its sixth year, the award received around 1,000 applications from international UK alumni in more than 100 countries, representing more than 120 UK higher education institutions across the UK.

Following in-depth interviews with a judging panel, recipients were selected for the three award categories: Professional Achievement, Entrepreneurial, and Social Impact.

The Social Impact Award, which acknowledges alumni who have made an exceptional contribution to creating positive social change, was presented to Albert Opoku - a Ghanaian graduate of University of Bath.

Albert Opoku is the cofounder of HapaSpace, a hub that provides start-ups training and mentorship opportunities.

Vice Chancellor of University of Bath, Professor Ian H White who addressed the ceremony said, “he is delighted that the British Council introduced the Study UK Alumni Award initiative in 2012 to offer a meaningful recognition around international graduates who do so much to improve our world”.

He added the University of Bath was proud of the essential work Albert is doing in Ghana in providing young people with training and mentorship opportunities and the important work he is doing with Code for Girls – helping young women learn computer programming in Ghana.

Reflecting on his time at the University of Bath in the UK, award recipient, Albert Opoku remarked that the university provided him with not just high-quality education but with so much more opportunities to learn how to contribute towards making the lives of others better.

He added that the British Council provided him with great experience and career development during his early career days.

Alan Rutt, Country Director of the British Council in Ghana noted Albert has done so much in creating social change through his work in supporting the development of entrepreneurs in Ghana over the years.

“As an alumnus of Bath University he has been a very active and effective ambassador for UK Higher Education and we have been delighted to have worked with Albert during his time as an NSS intern at the British Council, then later as a valued member of our management team and then after that as a key partner in our work in skills and entrepreneurship development”, he said.

Mr. Rutt thanked Albert for his lifelong commitment to strengthening collaborative ties between the UK and Ghana.