The competition is Africa’s premier pitch competition for high school students and the culmination of JAA’s highly acclaimed Company Program, which teaches introductory business to thousands of students in Africa, every year.

An official statement issued, in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency, in Accra, said this year’s competition, brought together 50 young people aged between 14 and 18. They were from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

The Grand Prize was taken by Inventive Explorers from Nigeria, who developed a rechargeable, hand-held traffic light for sale to schools, local communities, and police stations.

Taking second place was Nazware Innovations PTY from the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), who created a digital voting app for schools to eliminate lines and other voting delays during election processes.

VERMO from Ghana and Nyunyiza from JA Kenya tied for third place. Vermo uses virtual reality to make learning more interesting and fun for students, while Nyuniza uses data analytics to make farms more efficient, especially when using scarce resources like water.

There were also business professionals, students and dignitaries at the event.

Speaking at the event, Pak Wo Shum, Director of Delta Air Lines’ GSA in Ghana, Aviation Alliance said: “Delta Air Lines is excited to be part of JA Africa for the Company of the Year competition and to present the Delta Social Impact Award, which recognises a student company for their entrepreneurial approach for solving a problem or developing a new product”.

He explained that Delta’s association with Junior Achievement transcended beyond Africa, partnering the organisation in 31 countries on four continents as part of Delta’s company commitment to supporting education around the world.

The statement quoted Mr Pak Wo Shum, who served as a judge at the competition, as saying, “We are keen on giving back to the communities where we live and work. “This includes ensuring young people have educational opportunities”.

Delta also supports Breast Care International in Ghana, funding screening programmes in rural communities to help detect the illness and ultimately save lives.

The students competed for the Company of the Year Award by pitching their companies and products and engaging in a boardroom experience with a panel of judges composed of international and Ghanaian corporate professionals and influencers.

The theme for this year’s event was: “Tech the Future by Storm.”

Throughout the Africa COY competition, the students showcased their businesses acumen and demonstrated their teamwork, innovation, problem-solving, and leadership skills.

The competition also allowed them to share their cross-cultural experiences and presented an invaluable opportunity for them to meet international business leaders.