As a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the JA Company Program and COY Competition will be hosted online for the first time this year. It will bring together student companies from senior high schools from across Ghana in a virtual competition.
The Company of the Year (COY) Competition is JA Ghana’s annual celebration of the achievements of its Company Program for students and their companies from across the country. At this event, student leaders will stand the chance of winning over $1,000 and a host of other amazing prizes. The winning team will also have the opportunity to represent Ghana at the JA Africa COY Competition in December, which brings together students from across Africa who will proudly present their businesses and key takeaways from their experiences in the JA Company Program. The 2020 Program is sponsored by generous donations of the Tomorrow Foundation, Mr. Peter Gbedemah and Databank Foundation.
Eligibility
- The competition is open to only senior high school students in Ghana
- Students must be in teams of 3 to 5 members
- Team members must be from the same school
- Complete the 4 weeks module of the JA Company Program
Awards
- 1st Prize e-certificate – $1,000
- 2nd Prize e-certificate – $500
- 3rd Prize e-certificate – $300
- Tomorrow Foundation Future Tech/ Innovation Award – $200
- Peter Gbedemah Social Impact Award – $200
- Databank Excellence in Teamwork Award – $200
- Best Teacher Award – $300
- Best Volunteer Award – $300
Last year, eleven teams from senior high schools in Accra competed in the COY Competition 2019 at the SB Incubator. The competition celebrated the hard work of over 170 young entrepreneurs who had been trained in the JA Company Program. Supporting the goals of improving youth employability and the start-up ecosystem in Ghana, the JA Company Program fosters key competences to ensure that students are prepared for success after school. At the end of the competition, Pedtor Inc. from Alpha Beta Christian College, emerged as winners of the grand prize. Pedtor Inc. is disrupting children’s safety and security in Ghana through their tracking devices that connect parents to their wards via a mobile app.
Moving from ideas to action, students gain crucial insights into self-employment, business creation, risk-taking and coping with adversity with the support of specially trained teachers and mentorship from business volunteers. JA Ghana alumni who continue to grow their innovations and ideas, turning them into sustainable businesses show the long-term success of the program.
Interested students, parents and schools should register via the link: http://bit.ly/JACOregistration
Registration Deadline is June 10, 2020
The 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.
Mr. Peter Gbedemah
Peter Gbedemah is a Computer Scientist and Telecoms Entrepreneur with a wealth of experience which he uses to support burgeoning tech companies. In 20 years as a Technologist, Chief Executive, and Investor, he has started, grown & sold businesses worth over US$1bn.
Beyond commerce, Peter Gbedemah supports youth empowerment through his involvement with JA Africa. He is also an enthusiastic participant in motorsport.
Databank Foundation
Databank Foundation was created by Databank Group as an intentional way to actively engage in CSR. The Foundation works to promote education, leadership development, and mental health for the vulnerable. The Foundation has a long-term commitment to identifying and addressing the needs of vulnerable groups in our society. Commencing from 1997 with our social work at the Children’s Ward of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Databank Foundation has initiated CSR programs such the Young Leaders Mentorship Program (YLMP), the Leadership and Excellence Awards (LEA), the African Leadership Initiative (ALIWA) and the Read Aid Literacy Program.
The Foundation’s objectives include developing and promote programs in education to empower young people to achieve excellence and supporting mental health programs for children and adolescents.
Junior Achievement (JA) Ghana
Junior Achievement (JA) is the one of the world’s largest global, nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young people to own their economic success by enhancing the relevance of education. JA bridges the gap between classroom learning and the realities of life and work today by helping young people apply learnings innovatively towards self-employment or as employees. JA programs employ a range of hands-on activities to give young people the opportunity to apply at their knowledge and skills in a practical way.
