GPA 05 Nominations Open

Nominations for the 5th Annual prestigious Awards for Ghana?s Professional and Business community are opened. The organisers are inviting nominations from the best of the community to be recognised at its annual gala dinner and awards event on 2nd July 2005.

The niche awards aims to promote, encourage growth, excellence and innovation in its professional and business community and to act as a platform for identifying positive role models and mentors for young people. Emelia Bartels Awards Founder States ?The GPA awards offer unique opportunity to recommend a Ghanaian achiever in various professional occupations or business persons who deserves public recognition and is making an impact in the United Kingdom. It also focuses on every day individuals in the community who would not normally receive recognition for their achievements, or who have not received the due recognition in the mainstream awards?

Who Is Eligible?

Any professional, organisation or business you deem has attained excellence in their field as well as contributed significantly to their community in any shape or form. Nominations should be received by 30th May 2005. Former winners cannot be nominated for the same category unless there have been significant changes in status quo or entering for a different category. The organisers are also encouraging more participation from young people this year who have a special award designated to them.

2005 Awards Categories

There are three main Categories (Professional. General, and Special) with eighteen individual awards for grabs this year. The Professional Awards include: Law, Architecture, Health (medicine & nursing), Fashion & Beauty, Banking & Finance and Sports, General Awards include Communication & Media, Science & Technology, Entrepreneur, Business innovator and Religion & Social Care and Entertainment.

The Special Awards for grabs this year are Excell Award for Innovation Dedication & Excellence (IDE), which goes to the top award winner, The Outstanding Contributor Award for non Ghanaians, the GPA International Award for Ghanaians in the Diaspora not normally residing in the UK and the Young Creative Star Award for a young Ghanaian under the age of 25. The Young creative star this year will be voted in through text voting as well voting on the website. For more info contact nominations@gpaawards.net

To celebrate its 5th anniversary in conjunction with the Africa 05 Agenda and to promote growth and trade, The GPA together with Ghana?s Ministry for Trade and Industry, the Ministry for private sector Development and Ghana Investment promotion Council (GIPC) have introduced a new special Award - The Corporate Champion. The award aims to project Multinationals and organisations operating and with links in Ghana and Africa for their successful work in the area of Capacity Building, Training & Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Stakeholder Benefits. For More Information contact corporatec@gpaawards.net or telephone 0870 446 4472

The GPA Awards since its inception five years ago have offered a platform not only for rewarding and promoting the cream of the Business & professional community but also has helped in promoting international trade through the event as a networking evening between Professionals, Businesses and High Profile decision makers both in the UK and in Ghana. And as rightly said by William Kalema of the Commission for Africa:

?The message from business has been clear: encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit of Africa?s people is central to growth and poverty reduction. This means getting the investment climate right, particularly for small businesses ? the largest source of jobs and wealth creation?.

?The business community has been very clear that its outlook for Africa is a positive one: it believes Africa is the next frontier for investment, while at the same time recognising the importance of investors being good corporate citizens?.

For more information Contact: GPA Awards P.O. Box 1999, Ilford, IG1 9DS Tel: Excell Consultancy 0870 446 4472 www.gpaawards.net