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The Startupper of the Year by Total Challenge Is Back in Africa
Energizing Your Ideas!
Following the success of the first Startupper of the Year by Total Challenge, held in 2015 in more than 30 African countries, Total is bringing it back this year in nearly 40 countries across the continent.
During the first Challenge in Ghana, Total Petroleum Ghana Limited recognized three young business entrepreneurs:
Joshua Ayinbora the ultimate winner, is passionate about poverty and seeing a well-fed Africa. Joshua owns and manages a pineapple plantation in the Nsawam area, creating employment for about 15 people.
Joshua’s company, Groital Company is set to create a difference in agriculture by employing best practices to improve yields and fruit quality.
Salma Abdulai, the first runner-up, is successfully operating Unique Quality Product Enterprise, a company in Northern Ghana that specializes in the processing and marketing of Fonio. she uses marketing-oriented approach into promoting the production of fonio by processing it into a fine texture for packaging and supply to retail sales outlets.
The flagship product is called DIM Fonio. It is an indigenous healthy cereal that can be used for porridge, jollof, plain fonio and fonio balls.
Eunice Owusu-Karikari’s E-Juice Company Ltd. is a fruit and vegetable juice processing company. In this era when people are really becoming health conscious, E-juice has positioned itself to serve the public with healthy fruit and vegetable juice with no additives, flavours or artificial coloring.
As during the first event, the 2018-2019 Startupper of the Year by Total Challenge will support and reward young local entrepreneurs in any business sector with a project or business less than two years old. In each participating African country, a local jury comprised of experts from Total, specialists from incubators and accelerators, business leaders and local community stakeholders will select three winners.
The projects will be assessed based on their:
• Innovative nature.
• Social and community impact.
• Feasibility and development potential.
Winners will be awarded the “Startupper of the Year by Total” label and receive financial support of 180,000 Ghc in total, plus professional coaching and extensive publicity to advertise their project.
New this year: To support women entrepreneurs, the jury will also designate a Top Female Entrepreneur in each country. This special award, which is in addition to the other awards, is Total’s way of encouraging more women to take part in the Challenge.
A grand jury will meet subsequently to select three Grand Winners for the entire continent, from among the first-prize winners in each country.
More than just a business challenge, the 2018-2019 Startupper of the Year by Total Challenge also reaffirms Total’s commitment to capacity building in the countries where it operates, worldwide. By helping innovative young entrepreneurs to realize their projects, the Challenge strengthens the local social fabric.
Registration opens on October 9 at startupper.total.com. Candidates will have until November 13 to submit their applications.
