Ghana Grabs 3 Gold Medals At Sage World Cup – Courtesy ZYLOFON CASH

Ghana won three gold medals at the 2018 SAGE WORLD CUP competition held in South Africa this month, placing the West African country second to Israel which won four medals.

The competition saw teenagers from 32 countries across the globe compete with their entrepreneurial and innovative ideas to find out which idea is most viable and addresses the world’s most challenging needs with respect to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs).

Countries that participated include the USA, Ireland, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Iran, Chile, Japan, Canada, Israel, China, Russia and others.

Countries that won gold medals for addressing the SDGs with their projects include Israel – 3, Ghana – 3, Ireland – 2, USA – 2, Canada – 2 with South Africa, Iran, Chile, China and Japan all going home with 1 each.

USA and Ireland were adjudged the best Socially Responsible Business (SRB) and Best Social Enterprising Business (SEB) respectively.

The country’s co-ordinator for SAGE Ghana, Jonathan Nsebo, expressed enormous gratitude to President Nana Akufo-Addo for the support he has given to the group both this year and last year and to the former president Jerry John Rawlings for the personal support he has given to the project.

Mr. Nsebo also expressed his gratitude to Benjamin Sedem Afetornu’s Techbooth, an IT firm and Nana Appiah Mensah’s Zylofon Cash for the financial support they gave to the teams to travel this year.

He expressed his gratitude to Zylofon Cash again for concluding a Title Sponsorship deal with SAGE Ghana for 2019 and beyond.

This sponsorship deal bridges the mission of both institutions of raising the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders who can monetize their creativities.

SAGE- Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship is a non-governmental organisation founded by Professor Curtis L. Deburg in Chico California USA.

The vision of this movement is to raise the next generation of teenagers whose innovative ideas address the world’s most challenging needs. Founded in 2002, SAGE currently operates in over forty-three (43) countries.

Every year, SAGE countries hold a National Competition to choose two (2) Teams with the most viable projects to represent the country in the SAGE-Global World Cup.

The National Competition dubbed “National High School Entrepreneurship Competition (NHSEC) was held on the 7th of July 2018 hosted at the University of Ghana Business School (R.S. Amegashie Auditorium and two lecture halls).

Thirty (30) High Schools made up of forty (40) Teams included Opoku Ware School, Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School Legon, Aburi Girls’ SHS, Tema Secondary School, Ghana International School, St. Lwanga JHS, Tema Technical Institute, St. Augustine’s College, Mfantsipim School, Adisadel College, Aggrery Memorial SHS, Ghana National College, Methodist Girls’ SHS, West African Secondary School, Aduman SHS, Tema Presbyterian SHS and other High Schools participated while ten (10) other High Schools represented as Observers.

Teams Ecoplas GH of Aduman SHS and PAHA of Methodist Girls’ School won the Best Social Enterprise Business (SEB) and Best Socially Responsible Business (SRB) respectively to represent the country in Durban, South Africa.

Team Ecoplas GH with their Plastic Waste awareness, recycling and upcycling project won Ghana three (3) gold medals for efficiently addressing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) goals 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation),13 (Climate Action) and 14 (Life Below Water).

National High School Entrepreneurship Competition (NHSEC) organised by SAGE – Ghana has been endorsed by the Ministry of Education, supported by Ministry of Trade and Industry, National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP) received support from the office of the President which seeks to help build a new Ghana with the involvement of the ideas of our young ones for the next generation.

He appealed to other Ghanaian businesses to push in more resources to SAGE Ghana to help them efficiently mentor the Ghanaian students to stand shoulder to shoulder with developed countries in subsequent world cups.

He mentioned, that they are doing their best with the little available to them but the work becomes increasingly difficult having to compete with countries like USA, Canada, Russia, China and all the ‘first world’ countries with the resources available to them.

5 Things To Do To Stay Out Comfort Zones!

What are the things you need to do to stay out your comfort zone? Do you feel stacked in your own body? Have you been experiencing the feeling of inferiority? Well, I think, comfort zones maybe nice places but they are waste lands where nothing grows. Oh yes! Get out. Go out there and do what you detest doing. Below are few things that I know, will help you get out from your comfort zone and be the best you. Enjoy Reading!!

1: Face Your Fears: So what exactly do we mean by the word “Fear”? Well, I think “Fear” as we all know is “False Evidence Appearing Real”. So then, why must one give in to fear when there is so much to live for; I mean the unachieved dreams and the untapped potentials stacked within? One of the ways by which one can get out his/her comfort zone is by facing their fears. So you ask, how? Apparently, many people all around the world, tend to act on fear, overlooking the fact that, acting on fear makes your fears come true but acting on faith and the zeal to succeed, makes your dreams come true. Regardless of your status/position at work or even at home; you need to stand up for yourself. Be it, public speaking etc. Take control of your destiny. The fear of the unknown makes life much stressful. Don’t let it serve as a destructive tool, to get you off your path of success. Don’t let it be a setback. Chase fear into a room and be fear’s friend. Go out your comfort zone; do the things you have difficulties doing. Being indolent, will only render you poor. Remember if you don’t fight for what you want, don’t cry for what you lost.

2: Set Small Achievable Goals: Ever heard of the old adage that goes like “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step” Oh yes, it does! No idea is too little as you might think sometimes. Regardless of how small you see it, just work on it and I assure you, it will become something you least expected. Remember, you don’t have to be great to start but you have to start to be great. Get uncomfortable with yourself and reach out for more. There is always a lot more to learn/achieve. Refuse to stay small.

3: Change your comfort to discomfort: By changing your comfort to discomfort, I mean, doing the things that makes you uncomfortable. You need to forget about whatever people say about you. The perception people have about you, doesn’t define you. It is what you perceive about yourself that works. It is how you see yourself that determines how you will fight the giants in your life. Don’t pay heed to their negative comments about your life. You own your happiness. Choose to stay positive-minded every day regardless of the circumstances at hand and the situation you find yourself in.

4: Envisage the person you want to be: How do you view yourself now? What about in the next 5years? What do you want to do in future? Some people tend to under-estimate themselves because they failed to visualize who they want to become in life. You need to understand that, whatever work you set your eyes on, to be in life, requires hard work and determination. Be encouraged, see yourself doing it. You need to form a clear mental image of the person you want to become. Break out your comfort zone; there is absolutely nothing special in there. Remember, your memory improves when you imagine yourself doing something. If you aspire to be a Doctor, visualize yourself doing it and work towards it. Fight towards your set goals.
5: Becoming more Persistent: Once you have come out of your self-defeating comfort zone, you still have the mission of staying out of it. You have to be persistent in doing the things you feel so uncomfortable doing, to help achieve your Goals/Objectives in life. You have what it takes. You only need to avail yourself. Strive for success. You can’t be successful whiles living in your comfort zone. Come out of it and make your world a wonderful one. You can. You Will. Make it happen. Be a Comfort killer.
-Written By: Sammy the Author