Accra, Nov. 28, GNA - A first ever Christian Business Excellence Award was on Friday launched in Accra to reward and inspire business excellence within the Christian community. Dubbed; the International Christian Business Excellence (ICBE) awards, and being organised by Innovations Communications as the event organisers, the award is scheduled to be held in Accra on January 31, 2009.

Mr Ernest Sackey, Head of Public Affairs of the ICBE Secretariat, said the award was one of the most important proactive steps that the church could take to provide global business leadership. He listed the award categories as including best marketing organisation, best Christian CEO, corporate woman and man of the year, Christian entrepreneur of the year, Christian print house of the year, business preacher of the year, best foreign Christian company of the year, Christian bookshop of the year and government Christian business ambassador.

Others are: overall Christian company of the year, Business focussed ministry of the year, best Christian business event of the year and best marketing organisation of the year.

Mr Sackey explained that the ICBE award would create a united Christian platform to provide mentorship and international advocacy on Christian principles of business and also serve as opportunity to grow businesses within the Christian market bloc.

Mr Jones Kugblenu, Director of Public Affairs, House of Parliament, expressed Parliament's support for the awards programme and urged the media to focus more attention to business news, especially Christian businesses and how they were helping to boost the economy. Mr Joshua Oboum, Media Coordinator, ICBE, said the award would be an annual event that would reward awardees with plaques and citations to encourage them to do better in their business endeavours.

Mr Sam Mensah Snr, Representative of the Full Gospel Businessmen Christian Fellowship, who launched the tickets for the award ceremony urged other corporate business enterprises to support the activities of the events that sought to reward and promote "their own businesses".