Junior Achievement (JA) Africa has announced, Active Innovators from Zambia has won the Delta Air Lines Social Impact Award at the 2019 Company of the Year finals.

The competition, hosted for the second successive year in Ghana, brought together 44 young entrepreneurs from Botswana, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Also in attendance were government officials, senior business executives and JA Board Members.

Over the past year, students from each country created and ran businesses under the JA Company Program, JA’s flagship entrepreneurship education program for secondary school students. The students had all won their respective national competitions to qualify for the regional final.

The Social Impact Award, which recognises values-driven corporate social responsibility and impact, was sponsored by Delta Air Lines, a global aviation leader that serves more than 180 million customers each year. Delta is a three-time supporter of the COY competition.

Active Innovators received a trophy, digital cameras and Delta-branded promotional gifts as their prize. The company produces a range of household kitchen items made from recycled materials such as plastic bottles and bottle tops.

They donated part of their profits as well as some of their products to the Home Management and Hospitality Department in their school, and to a nearby community school to ensure the students have clean facilities every day.

Shane Spyak, Delta’s Vice President Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India (EMEAI) said, “at Delta, we’re committed to helping the communities where we live and work. I was very impressed by Active Innovators’ vision and innovative thinking to improve not only their school environment but also help other young people from less fortunate backgrounds.”

CEO of JA Africa, Elizabeth Bintliff added, “every year, the level of competition gets better. Every year, we challenge our students and they rise to the occasion each time. We are grateful to Delta Air Lines for recognizing Active Innovators for their social impact.”

Elvis Ngosa, CEO of Active Innovators said, “we are honoured to be recognized by Delta Air Lines for our corporate responsibility.”

He concluded by expressing appreciation to JA and Delta Air Lines for giving students across Africa the opportunity to build their entrepreneurship and work readiness skills from such a young age.

“Thank you for investing in our future,” Elvis Ngosa said.

Entrepreneurship education is a critical pathway to solve the growing youth employment challenge in Africa and JA’s mission is to bridge this gap.

JA Africa prepares youth for the future of jobs through the delivery of financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship training, reaching over 250,000 young people in 15 countries in Africa each year. JA Africa is a member of JA Worldwide, one of the largest global organizations focused on the economic empowerment of youth. For more information, visit www.ja africa.org