JA Nigeria Hosts 2022 JA Africa Company of the Year

December 7–9, 2022

The sixth and final regional Company of the Year competition of 2022 began today in Lagos, Nigeria. Company of the Year competitions, which build on students’ entrepreneurship training through the JA Company Program, are held in each of JA’s six regions around the world: Africa, Americas, Asia Pacific, MENA, Europe, and the United States.

Nine JA student companies from Sub-Saharan Africa made their way to the city, hailing from Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to attend seminars; meet entrepreneurs, leaders, additional adult role models, and other likeminded young people from the region; and compete for the title of JA Africa Company of the Year.

Meet the JA Student Companies

JA Eswatini

Time Out’s smart switch works with a mobile app that allows users to control power to lights and appliances in the home remotely.

JA Kenya

JA Ghana

Seksolin JA converts solar energy to electricity via solar panels to power its Solar Stove. The stove is powered by a battery, eliminating the need for dangerous and expensive charcoal and gas-powered stoves.

Aquatech makes fish farming more accessible with its portable fishpond. The pond can be easily assembled and comes in various sizes to suit customer needs and can be fitted with filters and a solar pump as needed.

JA Nigeria

Green Apex Africa manufactures and provides affordable and environmentally friendly menstrual hygiene products for women and girls. The biodegradable sanitary pads are made from cotton fiber and banana fiber.

JA Uganda

JA Tanzania

Kibega Company’s mobile app allows consumers to order groceries from local markets and vendors remotely.

City Multi Tech Stars deals in tech, providing carrier trolleys from Little Boy Trolley, Neptune Space Master drones, virtual-reality headsets, wireless chargers, and do-it-yourself (DIY) WiFi.

JA Zambia

Moxes Sanitary Sports Enterprise creates and sells unique, creative sportswear with a focus on improving sanitary needs for athletes.

JA Zimbabwe

Hekima Inc specializes in education-specific technology with the goal of making education accessible to all.

The Competition

Day 1 began with an opening ceremony hosted by emcee Temi Badru. JA Africa CEO Simi Nwogugu and JA Nigeria Executive Director Foluso Gbadamosi welcomed students and sponsors to the event. After the opening, students participated in a series of seminars sponsored by the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF) and Johnson & Johnson (J&J).

Titilola Park, PMP, from consulting firm Afrissance, introduced students to the concept of project management, including the steps and elements of the practice, in the PMIEF Project Management seminar, the first of the day. Students worked in five groups, divided so they worked with students from different countries rather than on their own teams, they were given a bag of materials and asked to build a 50cm tower out of cups, straws, and string.

After a lunch break, students participated in the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Seminar. J&J Nigeria employees Chibuike Uzor and Peace Olumese gave students a glimpse into their respective career journeys: Chibuike started as a medical doctor and discovered he was more interested in the non-clinical side, so he now works as a Medical Science Liaison, while Peace, who worked as a pharmacist and found herself loving the research aspect, now works as a Local Safety Officer. They led the students in a fascinating discussion that aimed to reveal how students’ passions could lead to different careers. The seminar concluded with the presentation of the J&J Innovation Challenge, which asked students to imagine innovative, sustainable solutions to the problem of limited access to quality healthcare on the African continent. Students handed in answers to Chibuike and Peace, who will review the responses and select a winner for the branded J&J Innovation Award, to be announced at the awards ceremony on Friday.

Day 2 started bright and early with the stage pitches. Each student company had five minutes to present its business, followed by seven minutes to receive and answer questions from the panel of judges. The judges for the finalist awards, the signature awards, and the branded awards all got to ask questions and meet each student team.

After the stage presentations, students spoke to each judge at their trade fair booths, where they could talk more about their businesses and elaborate on what they learned through the JA Company Program. When JA Worldwide CEO Asheesh Advani asked each student, “What’s your takeaway from the JA Company Program?” two answers dominated: teamwork and self-efficacy. Building a successful company together means learning how to work together, often with people you might not know well. According to several students, the fact that they were able to not only start a company from scratch but also to reach the regional championships made them believe in themselves. On a continent where more than 60% of the population is under the age of 25, the entrepreneurial potential among African youth is emerging faster than ever.

Students ended Day 2 with individual boardroom interviews with the judges, which were closed to the public.

On Day 3, students received a respite from competition and had the chance to explore parts of Lagos with their chaperones and JA staff before the awards celebration. That evening, the conference center at Eko Hotel, where they’d given their stage pitches the day before, transformed into a sparkling gala.

The awards ceremony began with the announcement of the Best Facilitator Award, which honors the region’s best JA program facilitator, and was given to David Ojok from JA Tanzania. Next, Nigerian music superstar Joeboy presented the Tomorrow Foundation Future Tech Award, which came with a US$1,000 prize, to Hekima Inc. from JA Zimbabwe. The J&J Innovation Award, based on the seminar and team responses from Day 1, went to Green Apex Africa from JA Nigeria. City Multi Tech Stars from JA Uganda received the Delta Social Impact Award, Kibega Company from JA Tanzania received the Bloomberg Changemaker Award, and Hekima Inc received the Rise Award. GB Foods, a leading food producer in Africa, presented the Rising Leader Award, the first Company of the Year award sponsored by a JA alumnus. JA Nigeria alumnus Vincent Egbe said he couldn’t choose just one winner, though, and gave the award to three CEOs: Seksolin (JA Ghana), Moxes Sanitary Sports Enterprise (JA Zambia), and Kibega Company.

JA Nigeria’s Green Apex Africa received the FedEx Global Possibilities Award. This signature award emphasizes the importance of global access in a world that’s more connected than ever. FedEx partnered with JA Worldwide in 2007 to expand regional JA Company of the Year competitions across the globe and is the only partner to sponsor awards and competitions in all six regions. Green Apex Africa won this award because it demonstrated that it is driven by innovation and showed how it’s connecting new markets, fueling community development, and addressing sustainability and social responsibility.

Third place: Time Out, JA Eswatini, Sifundzani High School