NIC Bank has partnered with Junior Achievement (JA) Kenya and Craft Silicon Foundation to launch an innovation award category in the annual secondary schools’ Student Entrepreneurship Competitions.
Dubbed the High School Innovation Challenge, the competition will encourage students who are members of JA clubs in over 300 high school in the country to develop transformational innovative solutions that will affect positive change in the financial sector to benefit individuals and communities across the nation.
“As an innovative Bank we are constantly working with various partners to come up with solutions to reach out to all our customers, including the youth. We believe the youth are a key segment in our society and we need to ensure they are well equipped with the right tools to empower them in all aspects of their lives, including finances,” said NIC Bank Group MD John Gachora.
Junior Achievement Kenya Executive Director John Wali, noted the initiative was an opportunity for the participating youth to play a role in shaping their future and that of their peers by coming up with innovative ways to educate on something noble as personal finance.
“This programme presents the students with a platform to influence financial literacy in their community. It offers participating students an opportunity to engage in the development process and bring their ideas to life by finding day-to-day solutions,” said Mr Wali.
Craft Silicon Foundation CEO Mrs Priya Budhabhatti acknowledges the partnership between NIC Bank and Junior Achievement Kenya in this productive initiative of mentoring students and the youth particularly in technology and financial sectors.
“As a technology company and Foundation we are cognizant of the fact that ICT has become the differentiating factor locally and globally in terms of social economic development and we have taken the bold initiative of extending the opportunity to not only the students in formal education, but also the youths in the informal settlements who might not afford post-secondary education,” said Mrs Priya.
She noted the foundation had rolled out a flagship project offering free computer education program. This has positively impact the lives of over 7000 students across seven slums in Nairobi. “We are happy to be part of this partnership as more students shall benefit from our technical experience. We can clearly affirm that the future is always bright for those who embrace innovation,”
This partnership is meant to harness raw talent and spur innovation. As experts in our respective fields – technology sector, financial sector and mentorship – the three partners have the opportunity to plant the seed of innovation and reap rewards in the future.
The three partners will later in the year launch a University Boot Camp where top students, totaling 200, from 14 campuses will participate in a tech challenge to find solutions in the financial sector using technology
Congratulations to the Junior Achievement Kenya for leading entrepreneurship innovation among the youth.