JA Africa Celebrates 11th Company of the Year Competition

February 24–26, 2022

JA Africa kicked off the 2021 Company of the Year Competition this week with student company teams from Côte d’Ivoire, Eswatini, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Mauritius, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Zambia coming together to compete for the title of JA Africa Company of the Year.

Meet the Teams

Côte d’Ivoire: Started by 10th and 11th-grade students from Lycée Modern TSF, Junior Holding TSF Bouaké invented CYCLEBOT, a machine that recycles plastic waste into useful products like bricks and fertilizer.

Eswatini: Hydro Power Systems PTY (Ltd) manufactures and installs smart in-pipe water turbine generators that generate electricity. The product is designed to be used in average household plumbing systems.

Kenya: Project Yoof JA Student Enterprise, an all-girl team from Nova Pioneer Tatu Girls High School, leverages technology to make mental health services more accessible to young people.

Mauritius: Momentum produces multipurpose holders equipped with mask disposal boxes and sanitizer compartments to promote good hygiene and organization.

Nigeria: Kere Terra from Etoi Community school seeks to reduce plastic pollution by recycling and transforming plastic waste into usable products like bags.

South Africa: Keyscape, founded by students from Northwood School and Danville Park Girls High School, produces and sells key-tag trackers that allow you to find lost items with ease.

Uganda: Tenge JA Company—an all-boys team from St Henry’s College, Kitovu—produces reusable, low-cost sanitary pads to aid and promote wellbeing and education for girls.

Zambia: Kuwaha Bright Future JA Company, started by girls from Hillside Girls Secondary School, is on a mission to reduce plastic pollution by recycling discarded plastic bottles into bins.

Zimbabwe: Mystery Munch Company produces and sells Mystery Munch, a healthy, no-bake, energy bar made from organic ingredients.

The Events

Though the opening ceremony took place on Thursday, competition events started on Monday with the FedEx Global Possibilities Seminar, hosted by Pam Johnson, Communications Advisor, FedEx Global Citizenship.

FedEx has sponsored JA competitions in all six regions since 2007, including regional Company of the Year competitions, the FedEx Junior Business Challenge in the U.S., the International Trade Challenge in Asia Pacific, and the JA Alumni Accelerator Award. Student companies must participate in the FedEx Global Possibilities seminar to be eligible for the signature award of the same name.

On Tuesday, students learned all about networking with JA Worldwide’s Sarah Rapp, Senior Manager, Alumni and Campaigns, who is also a JA alumnus herself.

Thursday’s opening ceremony, emceed by broadcaster and communications specialist Chrystal Kwame-Aryee, featured speakers JA Africa CEO Simi Nwogugu; Mauritius Vice Prime Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science, and Technology Leela Devi Dookhum-Luchoomun; and JA Mascareignes Board Chair Anusha Mannick, and an inspiring keynote from fintech entrepreneur Sébastien Le Blanc, founder of MIPS.

The competition kicked into high gear on Friday as students presented their businesses to the judges. In addition to first, second, and third place prizes, student companies vied for Signature Awards from sponsors FedEx and Citi Foundation, and the Public Choice Award.

The first-place Company of the Year will join the 2021 Company of the Year winners from the USA, Europe, Asia Pacific, MENA, and the Americas in April to compete for the De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award, JA’s first and only global award for student companies. (Learn about last year’s winning company.)

Awards Ceremony

Emcee Chrystal Kwame-Aryee led the final awards ceremony Saturday morning, introducing speakers and keeping the energy high. Final ceremony speakers included Charles Olumuyiwa Moyela, Board Chair, JA Africa; Michele Lionet, Executive Director, JA Mascareignes; and keynote speaker Peter Njonjo, co-founder and group CEO of Twiga Foods and member of the JA Worldwide Board of Governors.

Signature Award Winners

  • FedEx Global Possibilities Award: Hydro Power Systems PTY (Ltd), JA Eswatini

  • Citi Foundation Client Focus Award: Kere Terra, JA Nigeria

Brand Award Winners

  • Tomorrow Foundation Future Tech Award: Project Yook, JA Kenya

  • PMIEF Project Management Award: Project Yoof, JA Kenya and Keyscape, JA South Africa

  • CEO Rising Award: Maureen Stephen Essien, CEO of Kere Terra, JA Nigeria

JA Africa ran an exceptional social-media campaign that garnered 12,000 votes for the Public Choice Award.

Public Choice Award: Momentum, JA Mascareignes

Company of the Year Awards

  • Third place: Momentum, JA Mascareignes

  • Second place: Hydro Power Systems, JA Eswatini

  • First place, Company of Year: Project Yoof, JA Kenya

Project Yoof will join the five Company of the Year Competition winners from Junior Achievement USA, JA Europe, JA Asia Pacific, INJAZ Al-Arab JA MENA, and JA Americas in April to compete for the De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award.

The awards ceremony concluded with an inspiring chat with Lady Mariéme Jamme, Founder, iamtheCODE.

The 2022 JA Africa Company of the Year competition heads to Nigeria in December.

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