FirstBank has partnered with JA Africa on
Company of the Year (COY) Competition, Africa’s largest high school
entrepreneurship competition scheduled to take place in Lagos, Nigeria from 7th
to 9th December under the theme, “Fueling Changemakers.”
The
JA Africa Company of the Year (COY) Competition which returns for the 12th year
in a row and the first in-person meeting post-COVID, after two successful
virtual competitions is JA Africa’s annual celebration of winning teams from
the JA Company Program, 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 JA Africa’s COY go through qualifying
competitions at national and sub-national levels, competing against thousands
of youth startups to qualify for the regional competition. This program
transitions them into employment and transforms them into employers. Having
emerged as national winners, they will represent their countries on the
continental stage where they have the arduous task to impress a panel of
international business professionals who serve as judges.
FirstBank’s
sponsored winners of the 2022 Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN) National Company
of the Year (NCOY) Competition – Green Apex from the International School,
University of Lagos – will represent Nigeria in the JA Africa Company of the
Year (COY) Competition.”
“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,”
said Simi Nwogugu, JA Africa’s CEO. “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.”
Also
speaking on the forthcoming Africa Company of The Year Competition, Folake
Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, FirstBank
said; “the 2022 Junior Achievement Company of The Year competition remains
another viable opportunity to promote the entrepreneurship skills, spirit and
talent innate in school children, across Africa. We commend Junior Achievement
Africa on the COY initiative as it serves as an avenue to expose participants
to inter-cultural values and traditions that will foster the unity of the
continent.
We
wish all participants, particularly the Nigerian representatives – Green Apex
from the International School, University of Lagos – the best as learnings from
every initiative could solve critical problems facing mankind as we
collectively make the world a better place.
This
year, nine student startups representing Eswatini, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, South
Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe will put their business acumen to
the test as they present the achievements of their businesses in numerous
formats to win the prestigious title of JA Company of the Year and other
amazing prizes from the sponsors. The highest among the prizes at stake will be
the opportunity to represent the African region at the Ralph de la Vega Global
Entrepreneurship Competition which will bring together COY winners from the six
regions where JA Worldwide operates to compete for awards, $15,000, educational
opportunities, and more.
The
2022 JA Africa COY Competition is made possible by the generous support of
Headline sponsors FedEx, Citi Foundation and PMIEF; Platinum sponsors:
Bloomberg, Johnson & Johnson, Delta Air Lines and First Bank of Nigeria
Limited; Gold sponsors: Tomorrow Foundation, Nascon, GB Foods and Rise, who by
supporting this competition are demonstrating their commitment to job creation
and youth empowerment on the African continent.
For
more information, visit: www.ja-africa.org/coy2022
About
JA Africa
As
one of Africa's largest and most-impactful youth-serving NGOs, JA Africa has a
presence in 13 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and collectively reaches over
300,000 youth in more than 3,000 schools each year. JA Africa works in Côte
d’Ivoire, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal, South
Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Visit ja-africa.org for
details.
About
FirstBank
First
Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) is the premier Bank in West Africa and the
leading financial inclusion services provider in Nigeria for over 128 years.
With
over 750 business locations and over 189,000 Banking Agents spread across 99%
of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria, FirstBank provides a
comprehensive range of retail and corporate financial services to serve its
over 30 million customers. The Bank has an international presence through its
subsidiaries, FBNBank (UK) Limited in London and Paris, FBNBank in the Republic
of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Sierra-Leone and Senegal, as well as a
Representative Office in Beijing.
The
Bank has been handy at promoting digital payment in the country and has issued
over 10million cards, the first bank to achieve such a milestone in the
country. FirstBank’s cashless transaction drive extends to having more than
12million people on its USSD Quick Banking service through the nationally
renowned *894# Banking code and over 4.5 million people on FirstMobile
platform.
Since
its establishment in 1894, FirstBank has consistently built relationships with
customers focusing on the fundamentals of good corporate governance, strong
liquidity, optimised risk management and leadership. Over the years, the Bank
has led the financing of private investment in infrastructure development in
the Nigerian economy by playing key roles in the Federal Government’s
privatisation and commercialisation schemes. With its global reach, FirstBank
provides prospective investors wishing to explore the vast business
opportunities that are available in Nigeria, an internationally competitive
world-class brand and a credible financial partner.
FirstBank
has been named “Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria” six times in a row (2011 –
2016) by the globally renowned “The Banker Magazine” of the Financial Times
Group; “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” for seven consecutive years (2011 – 2017)
by the Asian Banker International Excellence in Retail Financial Services
Awards and “Best Bank in Nigeria” by Global Finance for 15 years. Our brand
purpose is always to put customers, partners and stakeholders at the heart of
our business, even as we standardise customer experience and excellence in
financial solutions across sub-Saharan Africa, in consonance with our brand
vision “To be the partner of the first choice in building your future”. Our
brand promise is always to deliver the ultimate “gold standard” of value and
excellence.
This
commitment is anchored on our inherent values of passion, partnership and
people, to position You First in every respect.
Folake Ani-Mumuney
Group
Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications
First
Bank of Nigeria Limited
About
FedEx Corp
FedEx
Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad
portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual
revenue of $95 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions
through operating companies competing collectively, operating collaboratively
and innovating digitally under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked
among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its nearly
550,000 employees to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and
professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. FedEx
is committed to connecting people and possibilities around the world
responsibly and resourcefully, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations
by 2040. To learn more, please visit fedex.com/about.
About
PMI Educational Foundation
PMI
Educational Foundation (PMIEF) is a 501(c)(3) supporting organization of the
Project Management Institute (PMI), the world's leading not-for-profit
professional membership association for those who consider project, program, or
portfolio management as their profession. Founded in 1990, PMIEF cultivates
long-term relationships with nonprofits across the globe to help them integrate
project management in their youth programs and to build their own project
management capacity. The foundation achieves its mission to “enable youth to
realize their potential and transform lives through project management” and its
vision for “inspiring youth to achieve their goals, making dreams a reality” by
investing in high-quality organizations that exemplify a commitment to
preparing young people for 21st century success and an appreciation for both
the societal application and value of project management.
Visit https://www.pmi.org/pmi-educational-foundation for
more information.
About
Delta Air Lines
Delta
Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is the U.S. global airline leader in safety, innovation,
reliability and customer experience. Headquartered in Atlanta and powered by
employees around the world, Delta has for a decade led the airline industry in operational
excellence while maintaining our reputation for
award-winning customer service. We are dedicated to ensure the future of travel
is personalized, enjoyable and stress-free. Our people's genuine and enduring
motivation is to make every customer feel welcomed and respected across every
point of their journey with us.
As
the leading global airline, Delta's mission to connect the world creates
opportunities, fosters understanding and expands horizons by connecting people
and communities to each other and their potential. We believe social
responsibility lies at the intersection of our values and expertise, guiding
our work in sustainability, our communities, and diversity, equity and
inclusion. Delta is proud to partner with 32 JA chapters across 5
continents.
More
about Delta can be found on Delta News Hub as
well as delta.com, via @DeltaNewsHub on Twitter
and Facebook.com/delta.
About
Tomorrow Foundation
Tomorrow
Foundation is based in Switzerland and supports African development. It focuses
on youth education, skills development and technologies to improve living standards
of Africans, boost the economies of African countries and give rise to future
business leaders.
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