First Bank of Nigeria Limited has presented its prestigious CEO Award to Team Mauritius at the grand finale of the 15th Junior Achievement (JA) Africa Company of the Year competition, which concluded over the weekend in Abuja.
The three-day event, held from December 3 to 5, 2025, brought together student entrepreneurs from eight African countries—Eswatini, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia—who showcased innovative, climate-focused business solutions under the theme Action for Climate Transformation. The annual contest provides a platform for young innovators to compete for a chance to represent Africa at the global finals, while accessing funding, scholarships and long-term venture support.
Announcing the award, FirstBank said Team Mauritius distinguished itself across the five judging pillars: strength of business idea, financial management and sustainability, leadership and teamwork, stage pitch, and trade fair performance.
The team’s company, Plantura, impressed the bank with its “plant and air-based purifier,” a climate-smart solution developed by four students described by the bank as “smart, agile and intelligent. “We unanimously agreed that Mauritius had our vote for the FirstBank CEO Entrepreneurship Award,” the bank stated.
Simi Nwogugu, President and CEO of JA Africa, commended FirstBank for its continued support, noting that the bank’s contribution has strengthened entrepreneurship and financial literacy programmes across the continent.
“FirstBank has been an incredible supporter,” she said.
“Usually, our headline sponsors are global organisations, so having FirstBank step up in that role was very exciting. We hope to further deepen the partnership—not just through funding, but also through FirstBank employees volunteering in classrooms.”
Nwogugu highlighted Africa’s urgent employment challenges, noting that while 11 million young people enter the labour market annually, only about 3 million jobs are created, leaving millions without work. She warned that without deliberate efforts to empower the continent’s youth, poverty and crime could worsen.
“Our solution is to raise young people who are not only job seekers but job creators,” she said. “We emphasise entrepreneurship education from an early age, teaching ethics, integrity and problem-solving. When young people identify problems, they should think immediately of how to solve them.”
She added that the future of work is rooted in technology, underscoring the organisation’s commitment to digital skills training. JA Africa currently reaches 1.5 million youths and aims to double that number by 2028 and expand to 5 million by 2030.
Also speaking, Asheesh Advani, President and CEO of Junior Achievement Worldwide, urged more Nigerian institutions to emulate FirstBank’s leadership in supporting youth entrepreneurship. “FirstBank is a great example of leadership in this regard, and we encourage other Nigerian companies to follow their lead,” he said.
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