Accra, May 5th 2020 – JA Africa’s Company Program has been selected as one of 15 projects by WISE to solve pressing education challenges in Africa. The program has been selected for its innovative and impactful approach to bridging the gap between classroom education and the world of work. Each year, the WISE Awards recognize and promote innovative projects from around the world that are addressing global educational challenges. WISE is the education flagship initiative of Qatar Foundation.
Junior Achievement (JA) Africa’s Company Program gives young people in Africa an opportunity to acquire entrepreneurship training early in their academic careers. The project specifically focuses on production, sales and marketing, analytics, consensus building, public speaking, leadership, and competition. The Program’s experiential nature means students can start a company and experience entrepreneurship and basic business concepts for themselves. In the last 8 years, over 339,000 students have completed The Company Program.
Elizabeth Bintliff, CEO of JA Africa said “We are so honored to have been selected as a finalist of the WISE Awards. This recognition is very meaningful for JA Africa and our work in education and we are thankful to the Awards committee. JA Africa’s mission is to prepare youth in Africa for the 21st century workforce and to be selected as a finalist gives us great encouragement and affirmation of our work.”
The 15 WISE Awards finalists come from 10 countries and were selected by a pre-Jury of international experts.
Stavros N. Yiannouka, CEO of WISE, said: “Our world is experiencing a crisis that is affecting all facets of our lives. Education is no exception, and indeed the need for innovation is all the more urgent because of the systemic shortcomings that the crisis has exposed. In this context, the work celebrated by the WISE Awards is critically important. Each of the 2020 WISE Awards finalists has built an effective, tested solution to a global educational challenge. Whether ensuring access to fundamental early childhood education or imparting valuable entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills, each project is already transforming lives, and provides an inspirational model for others to emulate. As we look forward to recognising this year’s WISE Awards winners it is imperative that policymakers and civil society leaders around the world seriously address the need to bring some of these innovations to scale.”
The 2020 Finalists are MyMachine, Stawisha Leadership Institute, Barefoot College Solar Electrification with enriched Education, MAIA Impact School, Dengbe’ Bide (“Two Rabbits” in Baka), Education for Sharing (E4S), Pratham Books’ Storyweaver, Centro Educativo Tecnico Chixot – Hero School, Think Equal, The Junior Achievement Africa Company Program, SignLab, Parenting the Future (PTF), Justice Changemaker Program, Transformational Teacher Training, and Arkki International – Creative Education for Future Innovators.
The 2020 Finalists were selected from a pool of 625 submissions evaluated according to strict criteria. Selected projects must be established, innovative educational projects that have already demonstrated a transformative impact on individuals, communities, and society of their context. They also need to be financially stable, have a clear development plan, and be scalable and replicable.
The WISE Awards winning projects will be announced in October 2020. In addition to publicity and networking opportunities, each project will receive $20,000 (US).
For further information, visit http://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-awards.
About the WISE Awards:
Each year, the WISE Awards recognize and promote six successful innovative projects that are addressing global educational challenges. Since 2009, WISE has received more than 4,200 applications from over 150 countries. Up until now, 66 projects have won the WISE Awards, from a wide variety of sectors and locations for their innovative character, their positive contribution and their potential for scalability and adaptability. These projects represent a growing resource of expertise and sound educational practice. Year by year, WISE is building a community of educational innovators which offers a fertile environment for ground-breaking collaborations. Today the WISE Awards network comprises pioneering projects that are helping bring real change to societies and communities.
For further information, visit https://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-works/wise-awards/
About WISE:
WISE was established by Qatar Foundation in 2009 under the leadership of its Chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. WISE is an international, multi-sectoral platform for creative, evidence-based thinking, debate, and purposeful action in education. Through the biennial summit, collaborative research and a range of on-going programs, WISE is a global reference in new approaches to education. For further information about WISE, visit www.wise-qatar.org
Media contact : Lina Lahlou – lina.lahlou@wise.org.qa
About Junior Achievement Africa
Junior Achievement Africa (JA Africa) is a member of JA Worldwide, one of the largest global non-profit organizations focused on the economic empowerment of youth. JA Africa prepares youth for the future of jobs through the delivery of financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship training. In collaboration with schools, technical/ vocational centers and other partners, JA Africa works to augment the traditional training for both in-school and out-of-school youth, aged 5-35 years, with life skills, business training and mentorship, in order to encourage innovative thinking, develop positive financial attitudes and enhance career aspirations.
Learn more about us at www.ja-africa.org.
