Adonten SHS Wins 2026 National Business Pitch Competition as Students Urged to Embrace Innovation

Adonten Senior High School (SHS) has emerged as the winner of the 2026 National Business Pitch Competition (NBPC), outperforming five other senior high schools in a contest aimed at promoting entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation among young people.

Aburi Girls’ Senior High School secured second place, while Archbishop Potter Girls’ Senior High School finished third. The other participating schools were Keta Senior High School, St Peter’s Senior High School and Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (PRESEC).

Held under the theme “Augmenting Innovation,” the competition provided a platform for student companies to present business ideas developed through a 16-week entrepreneurship programme. The initiative seeks to equip students with practical business skills and encourage them to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems.

JA Ghana Encourages Students to Become Entrepreneurs

Speaking at the competition, JA Ghana Executive Director Edem Amedi-Addie said the event went beyond pitching business ideas, as it demonstrated what young people could achieve when given the opportunity to imagine, innovate and develop solutions to challenges in their communities.

He explained that JA Ghana works with the Ghana Education Service (GES), enabling the organisation to reach senior high schools across the country and invite interested institutions to participate in its entrepreneurship programmes.

Mr Amedi-Addie stressed that innovation was no longer limited to generating new ideas but also involved improving existing solutions through technology, creativity and collaboration.

“Entrepreneurship is not about having the perfect idea. It is about having the courage to test your idea, learn from failure and keep improving,” he said.

He noted that JA Ghana focuses on financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship to prepare young people to become responsible global citizens and active contributors to economic development.

According to him, the organisation is committed to changing the mindset of young people from job seekers to job creators by equipping them with the knowledge and confidence needed to establish businesses and create employment opportunities.

Mr Amedi-Addie disclosed that 26 schools received training during the year, with 23 enrolling to participate in the competition. Of these, 17 advanced to the modelling stage, while nine schools submitted their reports and video commercials before the August deadline.

He added that Adonten SHS would represent Ghana at the African level of the competition, giving its students an opportunity to showcase their business idea to a wider audience.

Students Challenged to Address Africa’s Employment Gap

Delivering the keynote address, computer engineer and research scientist Dr Michael Wilson highlighted the employment challenges facing Africa, noting that approximately 12 million people enter the continent’s labour market annually, while only about three million jobs are created.

Using the analogy of a musical chairs game, he explained that the gap between the number of job seekers and available employment opportunities meant many young people could struggle to find work.

He therefore challenged students to look beyond seeking employment and consider how their ideas, skills and innovations could create opportunities for themselves and others.

Dr Wilson emphasised that the responsibility of young people extended beyond personal success to include helping address broader social and economic challenges through entrepreneurship and innovation.

“The future of every people will survive if opportunity is put in the hands of those that the future belongs to,” he said.

He cited Neatfufu, a product developed from research at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), as an example of how scientific research can be transformed into practical products that address real needs.

Innovation as a Pathway to Job Creation

The 2026 National Business Pitch Competition highlighted the importance of introducing students to entrepreneurship early and giving them opportunities to apply classroom knowledge to practical business challenges.

Through initiatives such as the JA Ghana entrepreneurship programme, students can develop business concepts, test their ideas, build confidence and gain experience in presenting solutions to potential investors and partners.

Adonten SHS’s victory marks an important achievement for the school and places its student entrepreneurs in a position to represent Ghana on the African stage.

The competition also reinforced the call for young people to view challenges as opportunities for innovation, with the potential to create sustainable businesses, generate employment and contribute to Ghana’s economic growth.