All is set for the kick-off of the Premier Entrepreneurship Program for High School Students across Ghana after a successful launch on Saturday July 17th 2021, at the AH Hotel.
Hinged on an intriguing theme “raising a generation of world class Ghanaian entrepreneurs” Junior Achievement Ghana’s National High School Business Pitch Competition promises to be exciting, fun-filled and lots to take home by students and teachers who partake.
In the weeks ahead of us, over 2.500 high school students across the country will pit their wits against each other in coming with small business ideas which will be pitched to a panel of judges that are made up renowned C.E.Os, technologists and other business stakeholders in the country. Additionally ,would-be entrepreneurs will be taking through sessions in their respective school which will be facilitated by school teachers through interactive pre-recorded videos alongside business coaches and mentors from the business community complementing the efforts of teachers with virtual mentorship and coaching. All these have been put in place to promote safe learning environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The journey to becoming the BPC prize winner and of course entrepreneurs of tomorrow is quite simple but one that takes a lot of hard work, tact , imagination and a passion for the idea one believes in. Students are expected to impress the panel with small business ideas and pitch them to win the coveted prize. Winners of the BPC will represent Ghana at JA’s Africa regional entrepreneurship program. That would not be the end should they win at the regional level. Present at the event was Hon. John Ntim Fordjour, Deputy Minister of Education who expressed his impressions on the program, ‘ Ghana’s youth are no longer competing with other Ghanaians or Africans for the opportunities of the 4th Industrial Revolution, but rather with other youth from across the globe, that is why JA Ghana’s work is important in positioning our young people for success and as a Ministry, we look forward to supporting initiatives such as this.’’
“I am excited about the prospect of this program because it is about time we paid a little more attention to entrepreneurship education. It has enough potential to mobilize and channel the energies and talents of young people to productive, which can only be good for Ghana’s economy” Abeiku Grenne, Executive Director of JA Ghana revealed at the program’s launch
Similarly, Joshua Mortoti, Vice President-Operations, West Africa at Goldfields and a member of the JA Ghana Board of Directors, reiterated the importance of the program as avenue for solutions to Ghana’s post COVID economic problems. “ The JA Ghana Company Program has proven itself as an important opportunity for High schoolers in Ghana to learn earlier in their career path, how to take decisions, solve problems and gain other skills as leverage to be self-reliant in Ghana’s post COVID economy. The reception of the program by stakeholders have equally facilitated our mission to leave no student behind”
The mandate of JA has been to help young people across the world to become economically successful and as a legally registered NGO, JA has carried this mandate for over 100 years by working with schools to bridge the gap between what young people learn in school and what they require to be successful professionals in the future. One of the main reasons for this program is to share in this mandate through unearthing and honing the skills of young people into becoming economically independent and unshaken by the adverse effects of COVID-19.
As a way of ensuring no student is left behind, the JA program is free for everyone who aspires to become an entrepreneur and develop entrepreneurial mindsets to problem solving. The BPC is part of a educative program that is designed for students studying diverse courses at the high school level. However, the program will only targets students in form one and form two. Participating schools will lock horns in the business pitch competition to climax the program.