Youth Entrepreneurship: The 2021 Bjkd Prize is open to Uemoa and Cemac spaces

The fourth edition of the Bjkd Youth Entrepreneurship Prize opens this year for the eight countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (Uemoa) and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (Cemac). It’s somehow the wonderful innovation of this edition that was launched on Friday, May 21, at the Azalay Hotel in Mercury, on the theme: “Adventurous and resilient youth in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic”. Thus, this year, in addition to applications from Cote d’Ivoire, applications will come from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Mali, Senegal and Togo.

This award comes to support youth and help develop creativity and entrepreneurship, according to Olga Chickeny, the foundation’s president.

Many young companies are born from innovative initiatives. What we see is that these young entrepreneurs, despite their potential for activity and perseverance, are unable to develop their businesses due to their poor production. Hence this award to give them a boost.

He added that this competition is therefore an incentive for all young people and everyone who has the courage to undertake activities with high potential and who wish to improve their profitability.

For his part, Dr Edoh Kosi Aminonfi, General Manager of Bvrm and Chair of the Jury, referred to the encouragement of applications from Uemoa and Cemac countries. Because, he says, it reinforces and reinforces the foundation’s commitment on the continent. Above all, Baked wants to support youth entrepreneurship on the continent. One way enterprise to support the development of African countries.

For this edition, the prices are improving. The budget for the Janine Diagou Grand Prix is ​​25 million CFA francs. Last year, this same prize was awarded with an envelope of 15 million CFA francs.

The second prize, the Environmental Conservation Prize, will award 15 million Fcfa to the winner. The third prize for innovation is an envelope of 10 million Fcfa and the fourth, the Brvm Prize for Sustainable Development with an envelope of 5 million Fcfa.

These awards are reinforced by material donations from partners (computers, televisions, etc.)

Requests and information requests are received at [email protected].

As a reminder, Sara Coulibaly, founder of Naima Dolls star-up, which makes Made in Afrca toys and fashion dolls, won first prize in version 3.

Note that the Bjkd Foundation, established in 2018, at the initiative of Mrs. Bénédicte Janine Diagou, General Director of the NSIA Group, is an organization that aims to promote art, culture, creativity, entrepreneurship and the promotion of African cultural heritage.