Junior Achievement Africa (JA Africa) (www.JA-Africa.org), Union Chrétienne de Jeunes Gens Togo (YMCA Togo) and Boeing [NYSE: BA] have delivered entrepreneurship training to 738 high school students in Togo this year.

The JA Company Program in Togo encouraged participants to develop business ideas that address sustainability challenges in their communities. The program included several key entrepreneurship modules, including identifying problems and opportunities, creativity and idea generation, market research, business model design, business plan development, basic financial management, marketing and communications, pitching and project presentation, and sustainable business management.

Through this structured learning, students gained practical skills to identify community needs and create and manage their own businesses responsibly.

“In Africa, young people have the ideas and energy to drive meaningful change,” said Henok Teferra Shawl, Boeing managing director for Africa. “Our partnership with JA Africa has already helped more than 5,000 young people across the continent unlock their potential. I am proud that the program in Togo produced 45 student-led small businesses, creating local economic opportunities in West Africa.”

The program culminated in the national youth entrepreneurship competition, held on March 14 in Lomé. Forty students from shortlisted teams, representing ten schools from Lomé and the Maritime region, presented their business projects to a panel of judges.

The grand prize was awarded to SmartAir from CS BAPTISTE, Kangnikopé, which proposed an Intelligent Fan, a ventilation system that automatically activates based on temperature.

“When young people are given the opportunity to build and run real companies, they begin to see themselves differently — as creators of value and drivers of change,” said Vincent Supparayen, director of strategy and development for non-anglophone Africa at Junior Achievement Africa. “Through the JA Company Program, we equip young people in Togo with the entrepreneurial skills and sustainability mindset they need to thrive in their communities.”

“At YMCA Togo, we believe that every young person has the potential to transform their community. The JA Company Program not only provides them with the tools to create and manage a business, but also gives them the opportunity to become sustainable change-makers in their environment,” said Mr. Dodji Kevin FIASHINOU, national president of YMCA-Togo. “We are proud to support these young people in their entrepreneurial journey and to see their ideas come to life in projects that strengthen the local economy.”

JA Africa and Boeing have been partners since 2021, delivering entrepreneurship and sustainability programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and now Togo. Alumni of the programs have consistently demonstrated success, with many launching their own businesses and creating jobs in their communities.

Such outcomes are vital for Africa, home to the world’s fastest-growing youth population. According to the International Labor Organization, young people in Sub-Saharan Africa are more likely than adults to face unemployment or underemployment. In Togo, limited formal job creation has also contributed to irregular migration as young people seek opportunities abroad, a trend highlighted by the World Bank. The program aims to tackle youth unemployment head-on.