Stanbic Bank launches the 6th National Schools Championship to empower youth

Stanbic Bank Uganda on Tuesday officially launched the 6th annual National Schools Championship (NSC).

It will be held under the theme “Empowering the job creators of tomorrow with the main focus on agriculture, business innovation and IT Skilling”.

The National Schools Championship is Stanbic's flagship education development initiative aimed at broadening participants’ abilities in applying business principles to develop start-ups that can earn them a future income and become all-round citizens.

The NSC programme is about imparting useful knowledge that can help unleash a sustained spirit of self-initiative and enterprise against a backdrop of limited formal jobs and high youth unemployment.

This time around a new category, ‘TeachGrow’, specifically created to target head-teachers and the teaching staff in general, has been introduced as part of this year’s competition.

Barbara Kasekende, Corporate and Social Investment Manager at the bank, said over the years, the National Schools Championships has witnessed brilliant and amazing business ideas generated by the students from across the country.

Some are operational, funded and closely monitored by the bank and its implementing partners.

She said: "It was incredible and humbling to see the innovations and determination of these students to deliver their ideas. They were not just being competitive. They were also proactive, stimulated by the challenge, and ready to show their creative side in finding solutions."

Anne Juuko, Stanbic Bank’s chief executive officer, said the bank’s sustainability and business success is underpinned by our commitment to create shared prosperity and promote the well being of the societies in which we operate.

This reinforces the basis of our purpose; Uganda is our home; we drive her growth.

She added: "We want our partners in the private sector to support the young generation by providing opportunities for grooming and giving hands-on training to these children at a young age so that they are able to carry-on our legacy even after we are gone."

In partnership with Roofing’s Group, the National School Championship runs a tree planting programme where it intends to plant over 30,000 fruit tree seedlings in over 100 participating schools countrywide.