JA (Junior Achievement) South Africa will be hosting the Regional Company of the Year Competition 2017, in collaboration with JA Africa. The event will take place from 6-8 December 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Company of the Year (COY) competition is an annual event and the culmination of JA’s highly- acclaimed Company Program which delivers entrepreneurship education to high school youth across Africa.
This year, more than 40 student entrepreneurs from across Africa will attend the event. Delegations will represent Botswana, Gabon, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Students will compete for prizes by pitching and presenting their products to a panel of judges composed of business professionals and influencers from across South Africa.
This year’s sponsors are FedEx, Citi Foundation, Oliver Wyman, Delta Air Lines, the official airline of the JA Africa Company of the Year Competition, Facebook, Marketo, Rogers Capital, African Leadership Academy and Afrovisionary Legacy who, through their sponsorship, demonstrate a commitment to youth economic empowerment and entrepreneurship education in Africa.
Meet the teams competing this year:
JA Botswana
Candle LIT produces 100% beeswax candles in recycled holders and stands. Beeswax candles are beneficial to one’s health and environmentally friendly as they do not contain any toxic chemicals. The candles are hypoallergenic which is helpful for people with environmental allergies, sensitivities and asthma. The beeswax candles can also be used for decorating lodges, hotels and homes.
JA Gabon
Recycling Industry produces environmentally friendly artefacts using plastic bottles from the water canals in their community. In the near future, they are also looking at including metal scraps in their portfolio. Their clients include other local retailers and businesses. This has generated a lot of interest from their peers which has created room for expansion. They have used their profits for some charitable donations as well as reinvested it in their business.
JA Kenya
Digera develops digitized cashless payment service through the Di-CAN system which automates purchases and transactions made through the local school canteen. They partnered with WYLDE International, an innovative professional consultancy firm, specialising in organisation & people development, to mentor students on best practices to improve their savings during the Global Money Week, a money awareness campaign that takes place annually in March.
JA Mauritius
Azurro Ltd. produces wooden bookmarkers, pencil cases, customized flash drives and multi-purpose jars. They dedicated 15% of their profit to a residential care centre for girls and women in Mauritius. Their aim is to spread the idea of green sustainability, where they commit themselves to the promotion of an eco-friendly environment.
JA Nigeria
The Flourisher is an agribusiness company that produces granola, plantain flour, beans flour and sweet potato flour. In the ideation process, they considered the president’s call on Nigerians to help curb post-harvest losses and add value to local products. Their major customers have been their parents, peers and teachers. With the revenue they accrued, they donated reflective jackets to the Road safety commission of Nigeria. They also held skills training for youth in their communities and made a donation to the less privileged in Abuja.
JA South Africa
Epitome of Elite Industry is a JA South Africa company that produces environmentally friendly multipurpose cleaning detergents. Their unique formula that has been passed from generations includes ingredients like lemon and Aloe Vera that are used for cleaning and good for the skin. They came up with this product after observing that most people complain about the cost of buying different detergents for their products as well as skin irritations and allergic reactions to these products. They donated 20 percent of their profits to their school for maintenance work as part of their CSR.
JA Swaziland
Artistic Scorpions i
s a private limited company that produces uniquely designed artistic wall clocks which enable the world to be time conscious. The clocks add diversity to already existing ones using recycled compact diskettes, pasting them on high quality boards. They produce and sell their products to big organisations locally and they also took part in the Swaziland International Trade Fair under the Swaziland Arts and Culture stand, where they were able to promote their product and receive recognition as a company producing unique wall clocks.
JA Uganda
Wot Art produces handmade footwear, jewellery, customized T-shirts and wristbands. As part of their corporate social responsibility, they donated food baskets and other supplies to underprivileged people in their school community.
JA Zambia
St. Mary’s Very Ow
n (SVO) produces convertible bags, book/bible covers, bracelets and headbands for sale in their school. From the profits they made, they visited a local children’s home and donated supplies to the residents of their community.Their key take away from the competition was how to work in teams and be innovative with solutions. WOT ART believes that the JA company program helped them cultivate their entrepreneurial abilities and learn professional communication and marketing skills.
JA Zimbabwe
TNL JA Company recycle plastic bottles cardboard boxes and tissue rolls into pencil cases, flower cases and stationery holders. They drew inspiration from a local newspaper that was advocating for recycling due to the increased rate of pollution in Zimbabwe. They contributed to their school by cleaning up the school piggery, donating stationery and footwear to students of their school.
ITS TYME
JA Tanzania
| Iringa DC Youth Group produces and distributes quality chalk in the southern region of Tanzania. They expect to offer 5% of their profit annually to orphanage centers. In early April 2018 they also plan to offer school equipment including teaching and learning materials and uniforms to the Tasamoganga Orphanage center in Tanzania. |
About JA Africa:
JA Africa is a member of JA Worldwide, one of the largest global organizations focused on the economic empowerment of youth. JA activates youth for the future of jobs through the delivery of in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship training. JA Africa reaches over 230,000 young people in 14 countries in Africa each year. Visit www.ja-africa.org
