Delta Air Lines, the leading US carrier in Ghana, has sponsored the 8th Annual Company of the Year (COY) Competition for high school entrepreneurs organized by Junior Achievement (JA) Africa.

The competition which was held in Accra, Ghana from the 5^th to the 7^th of December is Africa’s premier pitch competition for high school students and the culmination of JA’s highly acclaimed Company Program®, which teaches introductory business to thousands of students in Africa every year.

This year’s competition, brought together 50 young people aged 14 – 18 from Burkina Faso, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, Zimbabwe. Also in attendance were business professionals, students and dignitaries. 

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 recognizes a student company for their entrepreneurial approach for solving a problem or developing a new product”.

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

Pak Wo Shum

Pak Wo Shum, who served as a judge at the competition explained “we are keen on giving back to the communities where we live and work. This includes ensuring young people have educational opportunities”. Delta also support Breast Care International in Ghana, funding screening programs in rural communities to help detect the illness and ultimately save lives, he added.   

50 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.

The Grand Prize was swept 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.