Ghana celebrated a moment of exceptional achievement as Eliada Agyarko Annor, Peniel Nissi Obeng, Eyram Dzakumah, and Albert Afiti, the visionary minds behind the Applied Ideas Developers (AID) Electronics Company from Adonten Senior High School in Aburi secured an impressive second-place victory at the 13th JA Africa Company of the Year (COY) Competition. The team also received the esteemed Client-focus Award from the Citi Foundation, while their teacher, Nana Kwadwo Asiedu Asare, received recognition as the Best Facilitator.
Their achievement marks a milestone for Ghana, representing the country’s most significant advancement in the COY, Africa’s largest high school entrepreneurship competition. Held in Kigali, Rwanda, from December 6 to December 8, 2023, under the theme “Breaking Barriers,” the event showcased the pinnacle of JA’s acclaimed entrepreneurship development program, the JA Company Program. This program empowers high school students to identify community needs and create innovative business ventures, equipping them with practical skills for entrepreneurship.
Annually, over 30,000 students from 16 African countries participate in the JA Company Program, establishing more than 1,000 companies.
Adonten Senior High School displayed remarkable ingenuity and business acumen throughout the competition, showcasing their innovative Portable Electronic Lunch Bag (PELB) product. This ingenious creation is designed to heat or warm cold food using a heating component that generates thermal energy for heat conduction, while the thermal fabric ensures food remains hot for an extended period.
Among forty JA student entrepreneurs representing their countries from across Africa, the Adonten team from Ghana competed alongside delegates from Cote d’Ivoire, Eswatini, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the host country, Rwanda. South Africa secured 3rd place, while Zimbabwe claimed the overall victory, earning the chance to compete against JA teams from other continents for JA Worldwide’s De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award, offering US $15,000 and educational opportunities.
The recognition of Adonten’s success in Kigali follows their impressive victory at JA Ghana’s National Business Pitch Competition (NBPC), where their exceptional performance impressed not only judges and the audience but also their peers from 14 other high schools from across the country. Their triumph in Rwanda brings honor to their school and JA Ghana and highlights the thriving entrepreneurial spirit among Ghanaian youth, with JA Ghana playing a pivotal role as a catalyst for this cause.
Abeiku Greene, the Executive Director of JA Ghana, expressed his elation, stating, “I am immensely proud of the exceptional work displayed by these students throughout the competition. Their victory marks a significant milestone for youth entrepreneurship in Ghana, showcasing the immense potential of our young minds to make impactful contributions globally. I commend the team for their stellar representation, and I am confident that their success will inspire more young Ghanaians to pursue entrepreneurial aspirations with passion and determination.”
