Swaziland wins Junior Achievement student Company of the Year Competition

Eco Eagle PTY Limited, a student company from Swaziland has been adjudged the winner of the Africa Region Junior Achievement (JA) Student Company of the Year Competition 2011 for the second time in a ceremony in Accra.

The competition was a contest of business skills, ingenuity and innovation that focused on the accomplishment of Africa JA Company programme for students, and also aimed at creating a signature showcase for Junior Achievement and high school students who benefited from the impact of the JA Company Programme.

Eco Eagle PTY Limited met stiff opposition from 20 other JA companies from 14 African countries but eventually emerged winners.

It also took the FedEx Access Award and each member of the team received a scholarship worth 500 dollars each, a medal, plaque, a certificate and they all received a trophy.

Meanwhile Guardian Angels Company Limited, from Botswana and D-Smart Company Limited, from Kenya came second and third respectively with D-Smart Company Limited winning the Barclays Innovative Award for innovation.

Mr Sean Rush, President and Chief Executive Officer of JA Worldwide, said Eco Eagle Company limited deserved to be the winner looking at its good performance in the competition.

He advised all the competing teams to use the JA platform as an opportunity to improve their capacities and that of their various countries.

Mr Rush said “The winning company demonstrated strength in each of the four areas competition – from company report, business presentation, trade booth, and private interview with judges.

“All the panelists unanimously agreed that this company was deserving of this prestigious award, and also should quickly patent their idea”.

Mr. Rush said the young entrepreneurs who took part in the competition were able to tackle some of the challenges in the real business world, which needed to be commended.

“These students have successfully tackled some of the challenges they will soon face upon starting a business or entering the workforce,” he said.

Mr Rush said the students have devised a product that met the needs of their customer base and demonstrated their understanding of the implications of globalization, how to effectively harness technology to meet business objectives and know-how to cross-culturally collaborate with peers across the globe.

Mrs. Jean Mwenda, Executive Director of JA Swaziland, expressed appreciation to organizers of the competition for giving the participants the opportunity to showcase skills in entrepreneurship.

She said “We are extremely excited for winning this competition, I am so proud of these students although some of them come from very challenging backgrounds, they have been able to overcome these challenge to win” and added that the students will make good use of the skills they have acquired through JA to better their lives.

Mrs Mwenda, expressed the hope that the participants would serve as role models for their colleagues and members of their communities to learn hard and establish JA companies of their own.

Members of the winning team included; Fisiwe Mhlanga (Chief Executive Officer), Lindo Mdluli (Sales Manager), Thembela Sifundza (Production Manager), Welile Khumalo (Financial Manager),and Melusi Tfwala (Human Resource Manager).

Eco Eagle is an environmentally friendly company focused on the production of organic vegetables with sawdust, cow manure and other waste organic materials as the growing medium.

GNA