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September 2023 Ghana
The Tomorrow Foundation is thrilled to announce the champions of the 2023 National Business Pitch Competition, a prestigious event celebrating youth entrepreneurship in Ghana. This remarkable competition brought together 60 young entrepreneurs from fifteen outstanding high schools across Ghana:
Throughout the year, students from 40 high schools participated in the JA Company Program, JA's flagship entrepreneurship program for high school students. After rigorous competition, 15 schools earned their place as finalists in the national competition. For the first day of this three-day event, students were warmly welcomed at the Academic City campus, where they were taken on a campus tour followed by rehearsals and preparations for the competition the following day. Competing teams pitched their business solutions before a distinguished panel of judges, demonstrating their profound understanding of various business concepts and explaining the performance of their business.
The fiercely contested event culminated in an awards gala and was attended by distinguished guests, including the Deputy Minister for Education in Ghana, Hon. Rev John Ntim Fordjour, the UN Resident Coordinator, Charles Abani, Deputy CEO of the National Youth Authority, Hon. Akosua Manu, board members of JA Ghana, and senior executives and business leaders from various industries such as banking, aviation, hospitality, oil and gas, agribusiness, and health industry.
The keynote speaker, Deputy Minister for Education, Hon. Rev John Ntim Fordjour, shared his inspiration from the students' innovations. He looked forward to a future where young Ghanaians create businesses and industries that address pressing community challenges and generate employment opportunities. He commended the National Business Pitch Competition for providing entrepreneurship training to high school students and highlighted the importance of innovation in alleviating poverty.
Represented by one of our youth representatives in Ghana, Nadia Owusu had the honour to present the Tomorrow Foundation’s Future Tech-innovation Award to Tarkwa Senior High School, recognizing the team’s innovative, original, or groundbreaking ideas. The team presented an automated multifunctional tractor called ‘EVA G1’ focused on using renewable energy technology to mechanise agricultural operations and improve productivity for small scale farmers.
The overall winner of the 2023 Company of the Year title was Adonten Senior High School from Aburi in the Eastern Region. They formed a company called PELB, specializing in eco-friendly Portable Electronic Lunch Bags that can warm food using regular electricity and solar energy. In recognition of their achievement, they received a cash prize of GHS 15,000 and other valuable products from our partners, including a Turf air-conditioner.
O’Reilly Senior High School from Accra secured second place with their innovative tea company, Zesty Blends, which focuses on crafting exquisite lemongrass-based teas. Meanwhile, B&B Plastics Company Ltd. from St. Francis Girls Senior High School, Jirapa (Upper West Region), claimed third place. Their company recycles plastic waste into moulded blocks, beads, and other products to combat plastic pollution.
JA Ghana's mission is to empower young Ghanaians in basic schools, high schools, and universities by nurturing their entrepreneurial ideas, enhancing their work skills, managing their earnings, and securing better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities. They do this through hands-on programs in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. We at the Tomorrow Foundation are excited to continue supporting JA Ghana and these talented young entrepreneurs as they shape Ghana's future.
For more information, please visit www.jaghana.org/BPC2023.
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