In late 2024, Asante Africa Foundation celebrated the culmination of its Enterprise Challenge program with three remarkable national finals events in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. These competitions showcased the extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking of East African youth, bringing together talented students from diverse regions to present their groundbreaking business ideas. 

The Enterprise Challenge, a key program in Asante Africa Foundation’s Youth Livelihood Program, is a dynamic partnership with King’s Trust International (KTI) that equips rural East African youth with essential entrepreneurship and leadership skills. Since 2019, Asante Africa Foundation has brought this innovative program, including the ‘Pop-Up’ business simulation game, to secondary schools in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Through the Youth Livelihood Program Clubs, the Enterprise Challenge and Grow Your Business initiatives, students gain hands-on experience in creating income-generating projects and applying theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios.

Kenya National Finals

The Kenyan finals, held in Nakuru County, brought together eight teams representing five regions: Narok, Wamba, Maralal, Marsabit and Turkana. The event demonstrated the remarkable depth of talent across Kenya’s youth with 50 students presenting their business solutions to pressing community challenges.

Maralal Mixed Secondary School emerged as the overall winner with their innovative water purification project, scoring an impressive 102 out of 120 points. Their solution addressed the critical need for clean, safe water in their community, showcasing both environmental consciousness and business acumen. Mwangaza Muslim School secured the first runners-up position with their sustainable beekeeping initiative, while Tipito Girls’ short-term fruit farming project earned them the second runners-up spot.

Other notable projects included eco-friendly products from recycled materials, biogas production and innovative agricultural ventures, each addressing unique community challenges while promoting sustainability and economic growth.

Tanzania’s National Finals

The Tanzanian finals, hosted in Arusha, brought together eight youth groups from across three regions: Monduli, Rombo, and Lushoto. Magamba Secondary School emerged as the overall winner with their innovative Black Soldier Fly Larvae Production project, scoring 76%. Their solution tackled dual challenges of organic waste management and high protein costs by converting waste into valuable resources like protein-rich feed, organic fertilizer, and fishing bait.

Mtumbi Secondary School secured the first runners-up position with a score of 70% for their Eco-Comfort Reusable Sanitary Pads initiative. Their project addressed menstrual hygiene challenges while creating employment opportunities through partnerships with local tailors. Tied for second runners-up with 66% each were two teams: Horombo Secondary School with their Maggot Frass Organic Fertilizer project and Rift Valley Secondary School with their Clean Energy Company focusing on LPG services.

The Tanzanian teams demonstrated exceptional creativity in addressing critical social issues, from sustainable waste management to environmental conservation and menstrual health. Each project showed strong awareness of community needs while building viable business models.

Uganda Regional Finals

While Kenya and Tanzania celebrated their national finals, Uganda demonstrated the program’s growing impact through two vibrant regional competitions in Kassanda and Kyenjojo districts.

The Kassanda region competition, St. Matia Mulumba Secondary School emerged victorious with their innovative Vaseline-making business. Bukuya Secondary School secured the second position with their juice-making enterprise, while Ssingo Secondary School’s briquette-making business earned them third place.

In the Kyenjojo region, Nyankwanzi High School took the lead with their plastic recycling initiative. Katooke Secondary’s liquid soap-making business and Kigaraale Seed School’s shoe polish-making venture secured second and third positions respectively.

Each winning team received seed capital to help launch their ventures, demonstrating the program’s commitment to turning innovative ideas into real businesses.

Impact and Innovation

These events highlight the Enterprise Challenge program’s success in fostering entrepreneurial skills among East African youth. The business ideas presented showed remarkable awareness of community needs, environmental sustainability and market viability. From dairy production in Marsabit to sustainable agriculture practices in Tanzania, students demonstrated their ability to identify local challenges and develop practical, profitable solutions.

Looking Forward

The Enterprise Challenge program, implemented through Asante Africa Foundation’s Youth Livelihood Program continues to play a crucial role in enhancing youth employability and entrepreneurship skills. With support from partners like King’s Trust International and I&M Bank Foundation, the program is creating a new generation of innovative entrepreneurs who are ready to drive economic growth and social development in East Africa.

The success of these national finals events demonstrates the immense potential of young East African entrepreneurs and their capacity to create sustainable, community-focused businesses. As these young innovators move forward with their ventures, they carry with them not just seed funding and awards, but valuable skills and experiences that will shape their future success in the business world.

These competitions have shown that when given the right platform and support, young people can develop remarkable solutions to real-world challenges while building sustainable business models. The Enterprise Challenge continues to be a beacon of hope and opportunity, nurturing the next generation of East African entrepreneurs who will drive innovation and economic growth in their communities.