Accra, Oct. 11, GNA - The Second Ghana Entrepreneurs Awards (GEA) are scheduled for April 28, 2012 in Accra. The awards are to honour outstanding Ghanaian entrepreneurs for their contribution to supporting economic growth and job creation in the country.

It is being jointly organised by Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana (EFG) and Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI).

A statement issued in Accra on Tuesday by Mr Sam Ato Gaisie, Founder and Chief Executive of Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana, said the awards would be on the theme; 93Unleashing Entrepreneurial Capabilities To Meet The Global Challenges Of The 21st Century". It said the awards would reward the capabilities of entrepreneurs running Small and Medium Enterprises to encourage more people to get into entrepreneurship, as well as support existing entrepreneurs in creating jobs.

In addition, it would increase trade in the country and promote innovation, by taking a cue from the development experience of countries like, USA, China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and India where Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been the backbone of their economies

The 38 awards would cover different sectors of the economy. The Prestigious Awards Categories are, Overall Best Entrepreneur of the Year 2011, Lifetime Entrepreneur, Special Entrepreneur Achievement, Serial Entrepreneur, Woman Entrepreneur, Young Entrepreneur, Most-Promising Entrepreneur and Industry and Manufacturing Entrepreneur for 2011.

Enterprises Awards Category are, Agri-Business and Agri-Processing, Export Services, Banking and Non Banking, Insurance, Medical Services, Herbal Services, Pharmaceutical Industry, Petroleum, Oil and Gas, Electronic Media, Advertising & PR Media Communications, Print Media and Publishing.

Others are Commercial Printing, Breweries and Beverages, Transportation and Automobile, Hospitality and Tourism, Waste Management, Energy and Electrical Engineering, Mining, Real Estate Development, Civil Engineering Architectural Designing, Freight Forwarding and logistics.

The rest are Airline Travel and Tours, Cosmetics and Beauty Care, Education Services, Information Communication and Technology, Trading Services, Professional Services and Entertainment. Three Corporate awards would be given to corporate institutions for supporting SMEs.

The statement said winners would be selected based on entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, exemplary leadership and impressive performance record based on the growth of their businesses. It said the judging panel would look for entrepreneurs who could not only steer their companies towards financial success but also mentored other young entrepreneurs. The Foundation is a non-profit organisation that promotes entrepreneurship by facilitating mentorship and education for existing and upcoming entrepreneurs.

It seeks to encourage and support more youths to venture into business= .. The maiden Ghana Entrepreneurs Awards was held on April 15 this year to commemorate World Entrepreneurship Day (WED), a 24-hour world-wide celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation. Forty Ghanaian Entrepreneurs were awarded with Prince Kofi Amoabeng, Chief Executive Officer of UT Bank being adjudged the Overall Best Entrepreneur of the Year 2010.