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Innovation, creativity key as Stanbic crowns 2023 schools championship winners

Winners of the BizGrow discipline, COTN Marani Honors High School, pose for a photo with their cheque during the 2023 Stanbic National Schools national championship in Kampala on August 18, 2023. PHOTO/JOAN SALMON

What you need to know:

  • Season 8 run under the theme: “Empowering innovation for job creation of the championship has culminated and winners awarded.”

More than 78 percent of Uganda’s population is under 30 years, according to UNICEF. Additionally, at least 41 percent of youth between 18 and 30 years are not engaged in any productive activity, according to the Uganda National Labour Force Survey.

It is such issues that the Stanbic national schools championship, which started in 2015 and is in its eighth season is geared to solve. As such, its aim is skilling, entrepreneurship and innovation, psychosocial support and environmental protection.

Some of the fruits of the championship include a three-year black soldier fly project in Kabarole District.  The fly adds to the protein content of food and fertilisers hence the project solving a drop in the region’s food yields. At Mentor SS in northern Uganda is the EduTele project born out of a need for the children to study during lockdown.

Junnior Education minister John C Muyingo inspects projects by students during the 2023 Stanbic National Schools national championship in Kampala on August 18, 2023. PHOTO/JOAN SALMON

Season 8 run under the theme: “Empowering innovation for job creation of the championship has culminated and winners awarded.”

Participants competed in four categories. These include Startup for innovative entrepreneurs, Biz Grow for continuing school projects, Alum Grow for entrepreneurs who have completed secondary school and TeachGrow for teachers.

Ms Diana Ondoga, the corporate social investment manager at Stanbic Bank says there were 100 schools (200 children and 100 teachers) with 14 new schools this year, some being vocational schools.

“I commend the government as their efforts in introducing the new curriculum augments our work. As such, most of the participants are between S1 and S3 because they are going through this curriculum and the innovation level is higher,” she said.

Mr Sam Ibanda, a certified public accountant at KPMG and one of the judges and coach appreciated the participants saying it is more of an opportunity to learn than a competition. He points to the fact that many now better appreciate branding and record-keeping. Mr Ibanda also commended Stanbic Bank for supporting more than 60,000 students through the programme.

Stanbic Bank Uganda chief executive Anne Juuko addresses a gathering during the 2023 Stanbic National Schools national championship in Kampala on August 18, 2023. PHOTO/JOAN SALMON

Ms Edgar Kasenene, the co-founder of IDEX Africa challenged the young people to be more innovative and leverage the limitlessness of the internet age to solve problems. “Solving problems is about understanding the real problem at hand. That calls for being curious because your value is not in regurgitating information.

Therefore, pay attention to your world and what it needs as there is no boundary in competition,” he said.

Mr Kasenene, the keynote speaker urged them to be resilient, committed, and persistent and have conviction because no business is created without failure.

Winners in the teach-grow category were Ms Emily Babirye dealing in shoemaking (winner), Fred Ssembeguya dealing in poultry (1st runner-up), Moses Mubiru dealing in art and design (2nd runner-up) and Ibrahim Muguwa running a computer business (3rd runner-up).

Winners in the Biz Grow category were Mandela SS with Relish meals, Kiira College Butiki with Tiki juice, Gayaza High School with Block bikers (rental bicycles) and COTN Marani Honors High School with reusable pads, knicker pads and powdered milk.

Winners in the startup category were Comboni College with a solar concentrator thus winning two laptops and a fully installed solar system worth Shs20m while their mentor got Shs2m, Kyenjojo SS had Tembo mosquito repellant vaseline and won a fully installed water system worth Shs10m and their teacher got Shs1m, Mpumude Seed SS had the Equatorial shoe and blast maker while Mengo SS had a vegetables solar dryer.

Winners in the Alum category were Elliot Otwao and Everest Nuwamanya with Caravan Printers, an arts and crafts business, Ivan Nuwamanya and Elvis Ahumuza with Pin Yoghurt, Henry Kazibwe with Hargred Auto Consults, a transportation and logistics business and Henry Odoi with Smile Familia, an e-commerce platform.