Telecel Ghana has hosted the first of its Red Pop-Up activations, a live public showcase of the work of young creative entrepreneurs, as part of its Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Month celebration at Rawlings Park in the central business district of Accra.
As shoppers haggled over costs of goods in the heart of the city’s busiest commercial hub, fast-rising artist Israel Derrick Apeti, known professionally as Enil Art, was hunched over his sketchpad, secretly drawing portraits of random traders with speed and detail.
Within an hour, Enil secretly sketched a hyper-realistic portrait of a clothing trader sitting nearby behind her displayed wares. When Enil revealed the art to her, the trader’s jaw dropped as she couldn’t hide her excitement.
Throughout the day, Enil drew the faces of other traders and craftspeople at Rawlings Park, who were full of smiles and surprise when the artist gave them their drawn portrait as gifts.
The Telecel Red Pop-Up is a live business showcase designed to place young creative entrepreneurs directly in public spaces with high foot traffic, to bring their small business story into the bustle of everyday life and put the spotlight on their craft.
“It’s a great privilege to gain this much visibility of my art at Rawlings Park. This shows that Telecel sees and values what I do. They are thinking outside the box by giving creative entrepreneurs like me a platform where we are seen and celebrated,” Enil said.
Alongside the showcase, each entrepreneur featured at the Red Pop-Up, which will also be organised in Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale this month, receives a GH¢10,000 support fund to help grow their business.
Young entrepreneurs in make-up, barbering and other creative areas are set to showcase their craft in upcoming pop-ups.
Enil’s journey into art began at around age eight, and he took it a notch higher after high school. He pursued Communication Design at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, but it was during his National Service with a bank in 2021 that his current art form took off.
Frustrated by the hours of Accra’s traffic, he began sketching conductors in public buses (trotro) during his commute.
He would draw them quietly in real time, reveal the sketches at the end of the ride, and hand them their portraits as surprise gifts.
The reactions of shock, laughter, and sometimes tears were his reward and convinced him that his art could connect with people in unexpected ways.
Videos of his random street sketches soon went viral on social media, resonating far beyond Ghana.
He has since staged artistic protests, including using muddy galamsey water to paint canvases to condemn the destruction of illegal mining. He recently honoured an invitation to share his story at the Cannes Festival in France.
His brand name, Enil, is a creative spelling of the abbreviation for ‘Next Level,’ which he said reflects his ambition to push art beyond traditional boundaries.
“I want my art to tickle emotions; make people happy, sad, or even angry if it leads to behavioural change. But most of all, I want it to leave an indelible mark on people’s hearts.”
Telecel Ghana launched SME Month 2025, under the theme: ‘Connecting the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs,’ to dedicate September to equipping youth-led businesses with the right tools, networks, and opportunities to grow.
From the launch of the Boss Plan, an integrated voice, data and social media bundle with a digital marketing campaign tool, to One Business Mobile, a complete solution for small teams that brings together, competitive sharable data, calls and SMS across all networks, to a reloaded Your Business Online service, which now comes with unlimited web pages, business email addresses and domain name registration, Telecel is giving SMEs the resources they need to stay connected, reach customers, and compete in today’s digital economy.
Other activities this September include:
- Bold conversations on the Connecting Hustles Podcast 2.0, where young business owners share raw, unfiltered stories of building something from nothing, tackling themes like “Clout vs Clients” and “The Rise of the Digital Hustle.”
- Telecel Ghana AI Workshop: a 3-day AI masterclass for young entrepreneurs to gain practical knowledge of how AI can improve their service and productivity
- Telecel Business Runway: a gathering of entrepreneurs who will learn from experts and walk away with the practical insights to innovate, comply, and scale. At this year’s event, some of our young entrepreneurs will also showcase their products and services.
- The Red Mixer: a high-energy space where ideas meet opportunity. Entrepreneurs will connect with industry leaders, build partnerships, and spark collaborations that will change their businesses’ futures.
Young entrepreneurs who wish to participate in any of these events or offers can simply text “More” to the short code 1133 for more information.
“Like the many young creative entrepreneurs we are spotlighting, Enil represents the energy of Ghana’s next generation of businesses, who are creative, resourceful, and determined to break boundaries.
“With the Red Pop-Up, we are taking these young entrepreneurs out of the shadows and into the spotlight to give them their own stage,” said Tawa Bolarin, Director of Enterprise Business at Telecel Ghana.
Enil admitted that he is in the early stages of turning his craft into a sustainable business and the support from Telecel Ghana will be instrumental.
“I’m still figuring out the full business side of my profession. That is why Telecel SME Month is so important to help creative people like me set up and operate a sustainable business.”
About the Author
