Lancaster University Ghana’s Business Cup Challenge continues to grow in prominence, providing a dynamic platform for secondary school students to showcase their creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial skills.

Speaking in an interview with Joy Business, Deputy Provost and Associate Professor Cynthia Forson emphasized the significance of the event in fostering technological advancements, particularly in the realm of the Internet of Things (IoT).

“The Business Cup Challenge is a platform introduced by Lancaster University Ghana to showcase the creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship of secondary school students in Ghana. What we do is we allow them to come and demonstrate the fantastic ideas that they have, particularly with this theme around the Internet of Things,” Professor Forson stated.

Originally launched in 2015, the competition ran successfully until 2018 before taking a brief pause. It was revived last year with even greater enthusiasm, and the number of participating schools has been on the rise.

Parres Medie Darko-Ameyaw, Head Girl of DPS International (DPSI), shared her thoughts on participating in the pitch competition for the first time saying it created a forum for students to express themselves and be able to choose a career path.

“I believe it has given students the platform to expand themselves and to portray their creativity in our way as to AI. There were a lot of challenges, like time management, because I’m a student, this is not the only thing, but we had to focus and put all our attention on this competition.”

Beyond the knowledge gained, students acknowledged the challenges of balancing academic responsibilities with the competition.

The continued success of the Business Cup Challenge underscores the importance of nurturing young talent in innovation and entrepreneurship. As Lancaster University Ghana explores ways to further expand the program, it is clear that the competition is making a lasting impact on students, equipping them with essential skills for the future.