Junior Achievement (JA) Ghana announces the launch of Junior Achievement’s (JA) flagship program, the JA Company Program®, which took place on the 26th of October, 2017 at JA Africa’s office on Jungle Road, East Legon – Accra.
The JA Company Program is an experiential program that teaches high school students (SHS 1-3) how to start and run a business within the context of a school. They run business enterprises under the guidance of volunteers from the business community who act as patrons; coaching and mentoring the students. They elect a board of directors from amongst their peers, raise share capital, and market and finance a product or service of their choice and run the company throughout the school year.
At the end of the academic year, participating schools compete in a national JA Company of the Year competition. The winners will represent Ghana in the Africa Company of the Year Competition which is held in December of every year. Students from all over Africa converge to demonstrate their business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit in a competitive environment that engages business, education and policy leaders, as well as the media.
After a two-year period of inactivity, JA Ghana officially re-launched its operations in Ghana in January of this year. Due to the generous support of donors, the Company Program is returning to four high schools in Accra, namely Labone SHS, Accra Academy, St. Mary’s SHS and Alpha Beta School.
“We are excited about the prospects of the JA Company Program in Ghana. Few schools currently provide youth with entrepreneurship education, although it holds great potential to diversify youth options for the world of work and create an alternative pathway to job and wealth creation. Through the JA Company Program, students will be empowered to start their own enterprises and discover at first-hand how a business functions.” said John Armah, JA Ghana’s Board Chair.
Also speaking at the event, Emmanuel Nyame, a JA Ghana alumnus said “My experience with Junior Achievement has been nothing but impactful. I learnt a lot about business which has contributed immensely to my career success”. He went on further to state that “we need to come together, start and promote initiatives like the JA Company Program that can make the world a better place. And I am hopeful that young people can lead this agenda”.
Junior Achievement (JA) Ghana is a member of JA Worldwide, one of the largest global, nonprofit organizations dedicated to empowering young people to own their economic success by enhancing the relevance of education. JA’s unique and experiential programs focus on the areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
Source: PROSPER AGBENYEGA