Junior Achievement (JA) Africa, in partnership with the Z Zurich Foundation and JA Worldwide, concludes the third edition of the AfrInnovate Youth Challenge (AYC), a platform showcasing the creativity and resilience of Africa’s youth.
This year’s event celebrated young innovators who are redefining inclusion and sustainability through purpose-driven enterprises.
After an inspiring showcase of ingenuity and impact-driven pitches, SkyVerse Solutions from Tanzania emerged as 1st Place winner with their mechanized post-harvest groundnut processing solution designed to increase yields and farmer income.
AgriCool Solar Chamber from Uganda claimed 2nd Place, recognized for delivering affordable, solar-powered cold storage that reduces food spoilage and boosts farmers’ profits.
In 3rd Place, CaliFem from Côte d’Ivoire and Ecobrick Togo tied for their outstanding innovations: CaliFem for transforming marine waste into sustainable calcium powder, creating jobs for women, and Ecobrick Togo for converting plastic waste into eco-friendly construction materials.
Special honors went to SolAir from Burkina Faso, which received the Innovation Award for its smart, solar-powered irrigation system, and Ecobricks Liberia, which earned the Impact Award for empowering rehabilitated youth through green employment.
“The AfrInnovate Youth Challenge is a powerful reminder that when marginalized young Africans are given access to knowledge, mentorship, and opportunity, they reinvent Africa’s economy,” said Simi Nwogugu, President & CEO of JA Africa.
“These young innovators are designing scalable solutions that address real-world challenges while proving that inclusion is the foundation of sustainable growth.”
“At the Z Zurich Foundation, we believe that empowering youth is one of the most meaningful ways to build resilience in societies,” added Gregory Renand, Head of the Z Zurich Foundation. “Through our partnership with JA Africa, we are investing in young entrepreneurs whose ideas are creating tangible, lasting impact.”
The JA Africa AYC event is the celebration of social entrepreneurship presented by the JA Social Equity Program, a cross-cutting entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work-readiness program for underserved young people aged 16–25 who might not be in education, entrepreneurship, or training.
This program provides hands-on experience and mentoring for starting and managing social enterprises or businesses that solve local community problems.
The youth participating in this program collaborate to bring about change in themselves and their communities.
Since its inception, with the support of the Z Zurich Foundation, the program has reached over 150,000 youth across nine African countries, catalyzing more than 7,000 youth-led social enterprises that address local challenges in climate resilience, education access, gender equity, and sustainable development.
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