First Bank of Nigeria Limited has awarded its prestigious CEO Award to Team Mauritius at the grand finale of the 15th Junior Achievement (JA) Africa Company of the Year competition, held from December 3–5, 2025, in Abuja.

The three-day event 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 competition provides young innovators a platform to represent Africa at global finals while accessing funding, scholarships, and long-term venture support.

FirstBank announced that Team Mauritius stood out across 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, developed a plant-and-air-based purifier, impressing judges with its climate-smart approach. FirstBank described the students as “smart, agile, and intelligent,” adding, “We unanimously agreed that Mauritius had our vote for the FirstBank CEO Entrepreneurship Award.”

Simi Nwogugu, President and CEO of JA Africa, praised FirstBank for its continued support, noting that the bank’s involvement has strengthened entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs across the continent. “FirstBank has been an incredible supporter. Usually, our headline sponsors are global organisations, so having FirstBank step up in that role was very exciting,” she said. Nwogugu emphasized the potential for deeper engagement through employee volunteering and mentorship in classrooms.

She highlighted Africa’s pressing employment challenges: 11 million youths enter the labor market annually, but only 3 million jobs are created, leaving millions unemployed. She stressed that deliberate efforts to empower youth through entrepreneurship are essential to reducing poverty and crime. “Our solution is to raise young people who are not only job seekers but job creators. We emphasise entrepreneurship education from an early age, teaching ethics, integrity, and problem-solving,” Nwogugu said.

JA Africa currently reaches 1.5 million youths, with plans to double that number by 2028 and expand to 5 million by 2030, particularly through digital skills training.

Asheesh Advani, President and CEO of Junior Achievement Worldwide, commended FirstBank’s leadership, urging more Nigerian institutions to emulate its support for youth entrepreneurship. “FirstBank is a great example of leadership in this regard, and we encourage other Nigerian companies to follow their lead,” he said.