200,000 Young Nigerians To Benefit As Junior Achievement Competition Holds

Junior Achievement (JA) Africa has announced that more than 200,000 young Nigerians are expected to benefit annually from its flagship youth entrepreneurship programmes, as the organisation hosts the 15th edition of the JA Africa Company of the Year (COY) Competition in Abuja.

The high-profile continental event—Africa’s premier business pitch competition for secondary school students — takes place from December 3 to 5, 2025, bringing together student entrepreneurs aged 14 to 17 from eight African countries.

At a press conference in Abuja, JA Africa president and CEO, Simi Nwogugu, said the competition continues to demonstrate the organisation’s commitment to grooming young innovators capable of driving sustainable development across the continent.

She said JA Africa now reaches 1.5 million young people annually across 23 African countries. At the same time, its Nigerian operations alone impact an average of 200,000 youths every year, including 20,000 secondary school students trained in the Company Programme this year.

“This year’s theme, Action for Climate Transformation (ACT!), reflects the urgent need for youth-led climate solutions,” Nwogugu said. “Africa’s greatest resource is the brilliance of its young people. Climate action is not only an environmental issue but a development imperative. Through COY, we see students transforming ideas into action and shaping a greener, more resilient Africa.”

The 2025 competition will feature student companies from Eswatini, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia, who will compete for the opportunity to represent the continent at the Ralph de la Vega Global Entrepreneurship Competition. Participants will pitch innovations across six focus tracks: Innovation & Technology; Artificial Intelligence; Financial Technology; Digital Media & Creation; Renewable Energy; and Circular Economy & Sustainability.
Also speaking, president and CEO of JA Worldwide, Asheesh Advani, revealed that the organisation has deployed more than $1 billion globally in the last three years to support youth empowerment programmes. He emphasized that JA uses rigorous global standards to measure the long-term impact of its interventions.

“We do three types of impact studies—predictive analytics, pre-and-post assessments, and alumni tracking,” Advani said. “This allows us to monitor educational outcomes, entrepreneurial progress, and employment pathways. Our partners value transparency, and this data ensures accountability at every level.”

Advani added that JA is increasingly integrating AI literacy and digital skills into its programmes through global partnerships, including collaborations with Microsoft. For this year’s competition, student teams are encouraged to embed AI solutions into their business ideas. “We believe African youth can leapfrog challenges and introduce innovations to the world, just like M-PESA did,” he stated.
On inclusiveness, Nwogugu reaffirmed that at least 5–10 percent of Nigerian participants must be young persons with disabilities. She noted that JA Africa works closely with specialised organisations to provide accessible learning materials, including braille and sign-language-supported content.

“We are committed to ensuring no young person is left behind,” she said. “We also keep track of our students through a digital dashboard and support them with guidance on university scholarships and leadership programmes.”

The Abuja event will close with the JA Africa Stakeholder Convening on December 5, themed “Unlocking Africa’s Youth Dividend: Radical Pathways for Inclusive Skills, Entrepreneurship, and Employment Systems.” The gathering will bring together policymakers, educators, private-sector leaders, philanthropists, and civil society groups to strengthen the ecosystem around entrepreneurship education.

The 15th COY is backed by headline sponsors FedEx, PMIEF, and First Bank Nigeria, alongside several development partners.

Nwogugu said the financial support provided by sponsors enables JA Africa to maintain an average cost of $20–$25 per student, depending on the programme. “Running a year-long Company Programme is more expensive than shorter innovation camps, but the impact is significantly deeper,” she noted.

JA Africa states that it will continue to expand its reach and refine its data-driven approach to youth empowerment. “When young people gain the confidence to innovate, they don’t just prepare for the future—they create it,” Nwogugu said.