The University of Ghana has launched the third phase of its Innovations for African Universities Programme.

The initiative is geared toward transforming entrepreneurship in Africa through engendering innovation, research, and development.

The fresh phase was announced at the ORID Conference Centre on Friday, March 17.

The theme for Phase 3 is Building National Ecosystem Capacity for Innovation and Venture Support Programmes in HEIs.

Pro-VC at the University of Ghana’s, Research Innovation and Development, Prof Felix Asante explained that “we are at a critical point in the program's evolution, where we must build on the successes of the past and continue to drive innovation and growth in the Ghanaian entrepreneurship ecosystem."

“We must continue to foster collaboration between universities, industry, and government to drive innovation and create sustainable solutions to Africa's most pressing challenges,” Prof Asante indicated.

He further expressed gratitude to the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Digital Hub, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) “for buying into our vision and accepting to partner with us for Phase 3.”

“Over the past few months, we have seen remarkable progress in the Ghanaian entrepreneurship sector, thanks to the commitment and dedication of our participants, sponsors, and partners.”

There were representatives from sponsors such as Imperial College, London; British Council, and Impact Hub.

They expressed satisfaction with the first two phases and were happy about the extension of the project including the collaboration with UCC and KNUST.

There was also an official signing event with the coming on-board of UCC and KNUST.

As the project moves into its third phase, here are highlights of some key moments in the preceding stages since its inception in August 2020.

Together with Impact Hub and UGBS’ the Nest, the partners developed a program in short which was deployed within two months. Students were selected through a call. A hundred students were called out, of which sixteen teams were shortlisted launched, and they did the free demo.

Six of them were subsequently shortlisted and in July 2022, the first grand Demo Day was held. There, the six teams were then scaled down to three winning teams. These three teams have been getting support to accelerate their businesses.

Student beneficiaries of the project- Fihankra, a tech start-up, and Salonjet- a thriving beauty industry made a presentation on the support they have received from the project.

In his closing speech, the Pro-VC commended participants, partners, and sponsors for their unwavering commitment and dedication to this cause.

“I am confident that the knowledge and skills gained through this program will continue to drive innovation and growth in Ghana and Africa for years to come,” he added.