Emergination Africa, a non-profit organisation that aims to empower young entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe, is set to host its annual national business case competition on Thursday next week in Bulawayo.

The competition, which is supported by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, will bring together 10 schools from the country’s provinces to pitch their innovative business ideas and solutions to various social and economic challenges.

The competition is part of Emergination Africa’s venture development program, which spans 6 to 12 months and provides high school students with mentorship, training and funding to turn their ideas into viable businesses. The program is aligned with the Education 5.0 model, which was introduced by the government to transform the education system from being theory-based to being practice-oriented.

Education 5.0 is a five-mission model of teaching, research, community service, innovation and industrialisation, established to move the nation forward towards an innovation-led and knowledge-driven economy. It speaks to the utilisation of local resources for social and economic development. It also seeks to address the gaps in the education sector in relation to employment creation and skills development.

According to Tendai Dzinoreva, Emergination Africa programs officer, the organisation is plugging the unemployment gap in Zimbabwe by investing and growing legs of business ideas among high school students.

“If you are in school and looking to get employed by someone, how many jobs are there? Africa is suffering from a huge employment deficit so the best way is to be able to really develop learners who are able to think beyond getting employed. A lot of problems that we are facing globally and we need solutions and the only way to do it is to critically think around turning those solutions into actual businesses and as Emergination Africa we have realised that it works with high school students,” she said.

Emergination Africa has assisted 13 business ventures in the past four years that were birthed out of the ideas of students through its national business case competition.

Some of the successful ventures include Eco-Bricks, which produces bricks from plastic waste; Zimba Fresh, which produces organic vegetables using hydroponics; and Smart Farming Solutions, which provides solar-powered irrigation systems for small-scale farmers.

This year, the national business case competition will see young students who display entrepreneurial knowledge and sell out their business ideas walk away with US$ 5,000 to start up their business.

“We as Emergination Africa are taking a risk of investing in these young entrepreneurs and what we are also doing is helping them start up their business. They are on a start-up basis but have done the basics. We are giving them US$ 5,000. It may be a lot of money if you are looking at maybe them being high school students but when it comes to setting up a business it is really a small drop but the goal is to prepare them to be investor ready,” said Farai Mushawasha Emergination Africa country director.

The competition will also serve as a platform for networking, learning and showcasing the potential of Zimbabwe’s youth to contribute to the country’s development. The event will be attended by various stakeholders from the government, private sector, civil society and academia