Three entrepreneurs honoured at Festival of Ideas

Three entrepreneurs have been awarded at this year’s edition of the “Festival of Ideas” for their ideas which have imparted positively on society.
The winners are: Mr Franklin Cudjoe, a founding director of IMANI; Dr G. Ayorkor Korsah, an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Ashesi University College and Mr John Armah, Chief Executive Officer for Entrepreneurship, Employment and Innovation who each received a bouquet and GHC2,000.
A host of the conference, Mr Albert Ocran, said celebrating heroes with great ideas was necessary to spur others on to achieve similar feat, and added that there had been a paradigm shift from the presentation of plaques to cash this year to help the entrepreneurs raise their capital base to enhance their operations.
Festival of Ideas 2012, which is held on the theme: “Ghana 2022, A Peek into the Future,” was organised by Legacy and Legacy in partnership with Otabil and Associates and Corporate Ghana.
According to conference hosts, Mr Albert and Comfort Ocran, the platform provided at the conference participants and resource persons an informal preview or forecast of the state of the global and local economy, leadership, technology and business in the next decade.
“Every August, captains of industry, entrepreneurs, corporate executives and professionals converge in this unique convocation to focus on information and ideas as resources for business development and wealth creation,” they said.
Dr Mensa Otabil, CEO, Otabil and Associates, speaking on the topic, Visionary Leadership: Leading beyond the next decade, stressed that good leadership is crucial in every aspect of life.
He said leaders must be bold, courageous, strategic and tacticians, as well as good organisers, to meet the expectations of the people they lead.
He said it was time citizens demanded the best from entrepreneurs and from the people who seek to  lead them since no one can build the future with a pessimistic approach to life, adding “if you demand you will get what you want.”
He also charged people to say and work their ideas instead of being petty and mediocre about their ideas. He also encouraged participants at the conference to keep running on the path of success, bearing in mind where they are going, how to get there, what they are using to get there and who will drive them there.
According to him ”you can’t create the future until you defy reality” and stressed the need for people to choose leaders who are warriors and who go to war and win battles before singing praises in their favour.
The Managing Director of Graphic Communications Group Limited, Mr Ken Ashigbey, advocated the need for people to challenge the status quo and shun mediocre behaviours the affect development.
 He also urged parents to encourage their children to be bold to change things around them, develop a positive attitude towards life and become transformational leaders.
Picture: The Managing Director of Graphic Comm Group. Ltd., Mr Kenneth Ashigbey (left), presenting an award to Mr Franklin Cudjoe of Imani. Photo: Charles Benoni Okine