Cliffhanger awaits in the final of the TBSC Version 6.0 ... • As UGBS, KNUST and UEW battle for the ultimate trophy
If the preliminaries, Round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Tertiary Business Sense Challenge (TBSC) will be used as a measure to judge participating schools, then it will be fair to predict a cliffhanger final in the sixth edition of the epic contest.
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The drama, thrills, intensity and wits that characterised the various stages of the nation’s premier business-related quiz competition was a sight to behold.
Now with the dust settled and the final three schools out of the over 40 schools that began the quiz competition across the length and breadth of the country set for the final, many await with bated breath to witness this all-important final.
UGBS to cause a shocker
The University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), the third school to make it to the final is the only school among the three that has not won the competition since its inception but has strongly expressed its willingness to annex the coveted crown.
The school believes strongly that with its quartet of Lawrencia Nelson, Obed Eyiah Arhin, Manasseh Amoah and Abdul Samed-Abdulahi, it can claim the trophy for the first time.
The optimism was echoed by the school’s coach, Dan Owusu Amponsah, who told the Graphic Business that his team members were preparing feverishly for the final.
“Basically, we are solving as many questions as possible, our focus is on all the rounds, we are working to do better in each round,” he stated.
He also praised the knowledge of the four students representing the school and gave credit to patrons of the school for their support.
UGBS dominated the semi-final encounter against SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SD-DBIDS) from the Northern Region, and Mr Owusu Amponsah believes they will do the same in the final.
UEW to defend the trophy
Defending champions UEW, made light work of their challengers, UDS, in the semi-final to be in pole position to defend their title.
The Winneba-based tertiary institute had a case to prove that its feat last year was no fluke and their confidence is reposed in the quartet of Success Fiadufe Defor, Joshua Agbowada, Felix Blay Amoako and Aaron Kojo Fiati.
“The team are on campus preparing seriously towards the final even though school is on vacation. They are on campus studying to catch up and work out the weaknesses identified so far,” the coach of the team, Samuel Gameli Gadzo, told the Graphic Business in an interview.
He added that the quartet would put up their best performance as defending champions to retain the trophy.
“We are not just there to defend our title but to defend the integrity of the South West Zone and we will cause a lot of problems for KNUST and UGBS,” he told the Graphic Business.
He further revealed that the team would win each round because it would not concentrate on specific rounds alone but would ensure that it dominated in all five rounds to carry the day.
He told the Graphic Business that the school would rely on the four-member team who would be escorted to the final with a large number of students from the school to provide them with the necessary backing to achieve their objective.
KNUST to roll back the years
2022 Champions, KNUST, may be the dark horse in the final as they seek to spring a surprise and recapture the title they won two years ago.
To back words with action, a crack two-member team, namely Lord Kelvin Kofi Atisu and Kelvin Nketiah Sarfo of the business department of the school, were selected to coach the quintet of Divine Kpodo, Samuel Bimpong, Japhet Adeleke, Osei Ampofo Twum and Kwadwo Acheampong to bring the trophy back home.
“For the final, we expect an intense competition with a few surprises along the way; we are, however, poised to match our opponents boot for boot and round for round up to the very last question; we anticipate a strong showing to shock our competitors,” Mr Atisu told the Graphic Business in an interview last Thursday.
He noted that his charges were looking forward to the challenge and would leave no stone unturned to bring the trophy back to the Ashanti Region.
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Quiz-master
Quiz-master, Alhassan Trawule, told the Graphic Business that the three finalists were the best in the various stages of the competition.
He backed his assertion by adding that all three were zonal champions and had dispatched their opponents effortlessly.
“Now they have no one else but themselves to contend with; this is going to be tough, I see the three schools equally matched and aiming for history,” he told the Graphic Business.
Fast facts
A win for either UEW or KNUST will see them equal UCC’s record as the schools with the most titles, which is two apiece.
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On the other hand, a win for UEW will be historic as it will be the first time a school has won the title back-to-back and retained their title as defending champions.
For UGBS this is their first final and victory will make them the first school to win the trophy in their first final.
Sponsors
The competition is being sponsored by MTN Ghana, PwC, Glico Group, Compu Ghana, Goil Ghana and GNAT.