Jun 29, 2012 at 2:03pm

Junior Achievement (JA) Ghana will organize the third national JA Company of the Year Competition on June 30, 2012 at the British Council Auditorium, Accra.

20 Senior High Schools (SHS) in the Greater Accra, Volta, Western, Eastern and Central Regions will participate in the competition. The schools will include, St. Peter’s SHS, Ghana SHS, Mfantsipim School, Adisadel College, Archibishop Porter Girls SHS, Ghana Secondary Technical School, Keta SHS, Accra Academy, Holy Trinity Cathedral SHS and the Presbyterian Boys SHS among others will converge on Saturday 30, June 2012 to display their entrepreneurial wits through a trade fair, business presentations, interviews among others as they compete for the prestigious JA Company of the Year Award.

The goal of the JA Company of the Year Competition is to create a signature showcase for JA and high school students who benefit from the impact of the JA Company Program. The programme provides the platform for competitors to balance the business achievements of each team with members’ personal development.

“The competition forms part of a broader initiative of Junior Achievement to bring entrepreneurship to the door step of young people through hands-on learning to encourage students to inject seriousness in their operations,” the Executive Director of JA Ghana, Mr. Jefferson Worlanyo Agbai said.

The fate of the competing companies together with the defending champion for 2011 will be determined by a panel of independent judges who will evaluate each company's performance against the competition criteria which is then compared with other JA Companies at each stage of the competition process.

Therefore, for a team to win the Company of the Year Award, the JA Company members must be demonstrate that they understand how and why the company performed as it did in addition to running a financially successful JA Company or to their creation of an exciting products or services.

“Judges will be looking for evidence of innovation and the application of new ideas in all aspects of running the company. They also will look for an understanding that continuous improvement through innovation is essential to the success of a business,” Mr. Agbai added.

Dr.Toni Aubynn, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Chamber of Mines and Board Chair of JA Ghana expressed his excitement at the event and said “the youth are leaders of today and not tomorrow as it is often said describing the National JA Company of the Year Competition as a clear proof of what our youth are capable of doing.

Dr.Aubynn, urged society to recognize the capability of the youth and encourage and support them to be the best they can be.

“Nokia is very excited to be part of this program,” says Head of Nokia Communication for West Africa Mr. Kesiena Ogbemi, He revealed that the youth empowerment and leadership are very important for Nokia's involvement in Corporate Social Responsibility.

Our CSI approach is to use mobile technology which is part of JA programs to improve education and learning. This includes life skills and youth development to which this program aligns perfectly”.

JA Ghana, an accredited member of JA Worldwide has been in operation since 2007 inspiring and equipping young Ghanaians through practical and innovative programmes to equip them to take charge of their destinies and contribute to national development. The JA Company of the Year competition is JA Worldwide annual celebration of JA Company students across the globe.


"We are very excited to partner Junior Achievement Ghana to raise and sharpen the next generation entrepreneurs," said Mr. Philippe Ayivor, Public Affairs & Communications Director of Coca Cola Equatorial Franchise & Coca Cola Africa Foundation."We are proud to be a participating business in this important program that will teach students in Ghana about the world of work."

The Programme Manager of JA Ghana, Mr. Kwabena Gameli Kugblenu has expressed the appreciation of Junior Achievement Ghana to Nokia, Coca Cola Equatorial Africa Limited, Promasidor, Woodin, DHL and British Council for their various contributions and support in organizing the event.

Mr. Kugblenu disclosed that plans are underway to enroll more schools into the JA Company programme and therefore appealed corporate Ghana as well as the general public for more support to JA Ghana.

“We are appealing to stakeholders both public and private to partner Junior Achievement Ghana to continue to ignite the interest of young people in experiencing the opportunities and realities of the 21st century global marketplace,” he said.


By: Citifmonline.com