Junior Achievement (JA) Africa has launched its flagship programme, Company Of the Year (COY) competition, to give High Schools students the opportunity to start a company on campus, run it throughout the academic year and do a pitch competition at the end of the experience.
Speaking to Journalist at JA Africa Ghana office in Accra, the CEO of JA Africa, Elizabeth Bintliff said students participating in such a programme come up with a business idea and learn how to raise capital through share certificates.
“The Company programme trains young people on how to be entrepreneurs by giving them the opportunity to run a business during the course of the academic year” she stressed.
“Through this experience, they (Students) will be getting coaching and theory lessons within their classrooms. It is a great opportunity for students to be able to learn” she added.
According to her, Students who will be participating in this competition will come up with their own team of executives i.e. Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Production Manager, Human Resource (HR) Manager among others.
Mrs Bintiliff noted that the most important aspect of the competition is the learning that happens within the contest.
Through the qualification rounds at the national level, Mrs Bintiliff said, “finalists are given the opportunity to demonstrate their business acumen, creativity and entrepreneurial thinking at the regional level”.
She believes that Africa’s youth are key to the continent’s future and JA’s work is critical to equipping them with the relevant tools and resources to secure a better future for them and their communities.
The 3-day JA Africa company of the year competition which will see students from 14 African countries converge in Ghana will bring with the competitor's ideas and products they have developed and represent the companies they have created.
“The companies are evaluated by a panel of business professionals who determine company performance against the competition criteria as compared with other companies.
The Company of the Year Competition will be in three stages i.e. Company Report and Presentation Stage, Board Room Interview Stage and Trade Fair Stage.
The goal of the Company of the Year Competition is to balance the business achievements of each team as a whole with the personal development of each individual member.
Judges on the day of the competition will look for evidence of overall company performance through innovation and the application of new ideas in all aspects of running the company.
They will also look for an understanding that continuous improvement through innovation is essential to the success of a business. The leaders of the companies must decide how best to convey their understanding and experience to the judges.
Ghana will be represented by students from Alpha Beta Christian College.
About Junior Achievement (JA)
Junior Achievement (JA) is recognized as the expert in providing business and economic education to young people. Since its founding in 1919, JA programs have served as a catalyst for bringing real-world business knowledge and hands-on experience to young people.
Junior Achievement programs were first introduced in sub-Saharan Africa in 1979, and now JA has operations in 14 African Countries reaching more than 200,000 youth annually.
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