... As Simi Nwogugu, JA Africa's CEO speaks on this year's competition
L-R MD, Agile Communications, Rufai Ladipo; Student, International School, University of Lagos, Folami Imisioluwa; Asheesh Advani, CEO, Junior Achievement Worldwide; Simi Nwogugu, CEO, Junior Achievement Africa; Tomorrow Foundation Rep - Denis Lebsis-Daronnat; Grant Specialist, PMIEF, Tim Swain; Executive Director, Junior Achievement Nigeria, Foluso Gbadamosi
The competition itself, is a program which equips senior secondary school level students with the entrepreneurial skillset and mindset to solve problems in their communities by launching a business venture and unleashing their entrepreneurial spirit.
The young entrepreneurs who compete at the JA Africa's COY go through qualifying competitions at national and sub national levels, competing against thousands of youth start ups to qualify for the regional competition. A program transition that changes them from employment into employers. Having emerged as national winners, they represent their countries at the continental stage where they have the arduous task to impress a panel of international business professionals who serve as judges.
According to Simi Nwogugu, the CEO of JA Africa, "Given the increasingly complex set of global challenges facing young people around the world from unemployment to climate change and food shortage, we focus on equipping our students to be solution providers who bring about positive change within their communities while developing businesses that generate wealth.
"Our students have demonstrated great resilience and innovation in grappling with these challenges and I am extremely proud of all of them. I am also deeply grateful to all our sponsors who stayed with us throughout the pandemic period and contributed greatly towards making this a live event again, she said.
Simi further added that 9 student start ups representing Eswatini, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are putting their business acumen to test as they present this week, the achievement of their businesses in numerous formats in order to win the prestigious title of JA Company of the Year and other amazing prizes from the sponsors.
The highest among all the prizes at stake being, an opportunity to represent the Africa region at the Ralph de la Vega Global Entrepreneurship Competition which will bring together COY winners from the 6 regions where JA Worldwide operates to compete for awards, $15,000, educational opportunities, and more.
And lastly Simi added that the 2022 JA Africa COY Competition has been made possible by the generous support of Headline sponsors: FedEx, Citi Foundation and PMIEF; Platinum sponsors, Bloomberg, Johnson & Johnson, Delta Airlines and First Bank Nigeria; Gold sponsors: Tomorrow Foundation, Bascom, GB Foods and Rise.
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