Thousands of students flooded the Athletic Oval of the University of Ghana (UG) on Valentine’s Day as Telecel Ghana’s TurnUp delivered the biggest campus party to climax Akwaaba Week for freshers.

Headlined by top music stars Black Sherif, Kweku Smoke, and Kidi, the campus blast also pulled a surprise international performance with acclaimed Jamaican dancehall performer, Popcaan, taking the stage.

The night officially opened with Afrofusion duo Lali X Lola, who set the pace for the evening with an energetic performance.

Shortly after, the five UG students shortlisted for the Telecel Next TurnUp Star challenge took turns to compete for the GHC 10,000 cedis grand prize in the music and dance categories. The competition, which saw dozens of entries on Instagram and TikTok, allowed student performers to share the spotlight with the headline acts and compete for prize money before thousands of their peers. The crowd cheered and adjudged Kelalie and Pentop winners of the music and dance categories, respectively.

“It feels amazing to win the Telecel Next TurnUp Star challenge, and I’m thankful to all who pushed and supported me,” said Kelalie, the music category winner and third-year Public Administration and Information Studies major. “As a recording artist and student, this is the best opportunity to put myself out there and show other students the talent I have.”

Afropop singer, KiDi, leaned into the Valentine’s theme with a set built around his popular love songs, drawing sing-alongs and concluding his performance by gifting flower bouquets to two female fans.

The energy shifted from romance to ‘hustle anthems’ when Kweku Smoke emerged. The Agyekum hitmaker’s high-energy performance resonated strongly with the Gen-Z crowd, many of whom recited the lyrics from his hit songs word for word.

The defining moment of the night came during Black Sherif’s performance. Dressed in an all-pink suit and matching cap, the award-winning artist lit up the audience as they sang along every word from his hit music catalogue. Performing songs from both of his chart-topping albums, Black Sherif paused mid-set to introduce the biggest surprise of the night, Popcaan.

The pair performed their collaboration “Celebrate,” prompting one of the loudest reactions of the evening and shifting the event from a campus party to an international showcase.

Throughout the night, active students on Telecel School SIM received prizes and gifts from Telecel and its brand partners, with MC Kojo Manuel announcing winners between performances.

Several students walked away with high-value devices and home appliances, including an iPhone 17, a Hotwav Cyber 16 Pro, rice cookers, blenders, a fridge, a laptop and dinner tickets. Others also won freebies from Indomie, Coca-Cola, Minimie, Bel Aqua, Didi Shito and Close Up.

Telecel TurnUp extended beyond the main stage. A two-day Telecel Cashless Bazaar enabled students to purchase food and clothes using Telecel Cash, while Telecel Service Clinics stationed on campus handled SIM registrations and assisted students with SIM challenges.

Director of Enterprise Business and Wholesale, Tawa Bolarin, said TurnUp is an appreciation of the telecom operator’s partnership with university communities.

“Telecel TurnUp is about celebrating the loyalty of thousands of students who rely on the network through our tertiary bundles. We are proud to have created this moment at UG, and we look forward to taking the TurnUp experience to even more campuses across the country,” Ms Bolarin said. “If your university is on the Telecel tertiary package, it could host the next TurnUp.”

Since its launch in 2021, Telecel TurnUp has grown into a recurring fixture on Ghana’s campus entertainment calendar, with previous editions held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi and the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani.

Third-year Political Science and English student, Theresa, said her expectations were exceeded. “I have been at Legon for three years, and I have never seen this kind of turnout. When Blacko brought out Popcaan, the whole place just exploded. I also liked that it wasn’t only about the big artists. It felt like Telecel really came for the students.”