Accra, Ghana – Junior Achievement (JA) Africa is proud to announce that the 2019 Regional Company of the Year (COY) Competition will return to Accra, Ghana. The competition will bring together Company Program students from the 15 African countries where JA works in Africa. The event will take place from 4-6 December 2019 at the Swiss Spirit Hotel and Alisa Suitesunder the theme “Activating Disruptors”, which challenges the students to come up with products and services that will disrupt various industries.
The COY competition is JA Africa’s annual celebration of students of the JA Company Program, who have created and run their own businesses during the school year. The Company Program is JA’s flagship entrepreneurship education curriculum which teaches introductory business to thousands of secondary school students in Africa every year. For millions of young Africans, creating their own enterprises is the most viable avenue for employment as the formal sector is unable to meet the employment demands of the growing youth population.
Graduates of the Program compete at national level for the opportunity to represent their country at the regional level. The competing teams will pitch business ideas to judges at the regional competition, demonstrate understanding and explain how and why their businesses performed as they did. Judges will be looking at the current performance and future potential of these business, as well as the personal development of the team members. In addition to the finalist awards, students will also compete for several branded awards presented by the funders of the competition.
Each year, JA Africa engages over 250,000 students across Africa, teaching them how to start and run their own businesses. Harnessing Africa’s youth potential through entrepreneurship education has the potential to translate into a dividend for the continent. The creation of enterprises does not only contribute towards economic growth, but also creates jobs for other young people. Giving these young entrepreneurs the experience of running businesses builds their minds to take on the challenges and opportunities entrepreneurship brings.
This year’s competition is supported by FedEx, Citi Foundation, Delta Air Lines, Tomorrow Foundation, Kosmos Energy, Facebook, LAWtrust, Bechtel, African Export-Import Bank, The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Ghana Limited, Newmont Goldcorp Ghana, Bata, and L’Oreal.
JA Africa prepares youth for the future of jobs through the delivery of financial
literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship training. JA Africa reaches over
250,000 young people in 15 countries in Africa each year (www.ja africa.org).
FedEx Corp:
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $70 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 450,000 team members to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. To learn more about how FedEx connects people and possibilities around the world, please visit about.fedex.com.
Citi Foundation:
The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of
people in low-income communities around the world. Citi invests in efforts that
increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and
reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant cities. The Citi Foundation’s
“More than Philanthropy” approach leverages the enormous expertise of
Citi and its people to fulfill its mission and drive thought leadership and
innovation. www.citifoundation.com/citi/foundation
Delta Air Lines:
Delta Air Lines serves more than 180 million customers each year. In 2017,
Delta was named to Fortune’s top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being
named the most admired airline for the sixth time in seven years. With an
industry- leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer
service to 323 destinations in 59 countries on six continents.
Tomorrow Foundation:
Tomorrow Foundation supports African development. They harness technology and bring the most useful techniques and technologies affordably to all Africans to improve their living standards and boost the economies of African countries.
Kosmos Energy:
Kosmos is a premier international oil and gas exploration and production
company focused on the frontier.
Facebook:
Founded in 2004, Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.
LAWtrust:
LAWtrust is Africa’s leading trust centre, security integrator and security solutions developer and also the company responsible for South Africa’s new national smart ID cards. With more than 20 years’ experience, LAWtrust’s CEO Christi Maherry lives and breathes everything related to tech, entrepreneurship, leadership as well as youth- and female-empowerment. Christi is a Board member of Junior Achievement Africa.
Bechtel:
Bechtel Corporation is an engineering, procurement, construction, and project management company, headquartered in Reston, Virginia. It is the largest construction company in the United States.
African Export-Import Bank:
African Export–Import Bank, also referred to as Afreximbank, is a pan-African multilateral trade finance institution created in 1993 under the auspices of the African Development Bank.
The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Ghana Ltd:
The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Ghana Limited (TCCBCGL), a subsidiary of
Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company, is the authorized bottler of Coca-Cola
beverages in Ghana. The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Ghana Limited believes in
investing in the future.
Newmont Goldcorp:
Newmont Goldcorp is one of the world’s leading gold companies. Newmont’s presence in Ghana includes the Ahafo mine in the Brong-Ahafo region and the Akyem operation in the Eastern region near New Abirem.
Bata:
Bata is a multinational footwear and fashion accessory manufacturer and retailer based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
L’Oreal: Founded in Paris in 1953, L’Oreal has risen to become the world’s number one cosmetics company