2^nd December, 2021. JA Uganda announced today that Rachael Mwagale has been appointed new Executive Director of the organization. An experienced business leader, Ms. Mwagale succeeds Mr. Geofrey Wakhakunyu and assumed responsibilities effective November 2021. Mr. Wakhakunyu has taken on a new role as Programs Director.

Rachael is a seasoned social entrepreneur, an experienced business strategist and a graduate of Makerere University (BA Hons) Social Sciences. She has worked with various organizations in contributing to empowering businesses to reach their next level of growth through creative sales and marketing drives. She is passionate about skilling young people of Uganda and empowering mindset transformation fit for the 21^st century work skills. Rachael is highly motivated team player, expert in stakeholder management, strategic planning and government relations, business process analysis, training and capacity building, sales and marketing, events management, mentoring and skills coaching. 

The JAU Board is optimistic about Rachael’s appointment. Having been a passionate member of the team before and now returning we hope to see a new drive fit for this organization.

While Rachael was at Miss Uganda Foundation she supported fundraising drives and as well impacted young ladies in pageantry to embrace ‘beauty with a purpose’ and gave a new face to beauty  ultimately engaging in corporate social responsibility which changed the stakes for Miss Uganda at the world level constantly winning us the first ever Miss World Africa in 2019 Quinn Abenakyo!

About JA Uganda

Junior Achievement (JA) is one of the largest global NGOs dedicated to addressing fundamental social and economic challenges of young people by educating and empowering them to transform their future and own their economic success.

Through the delivery of cutting-edge, experiential learning in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship, we effectively broaden the canvas of possibility for young people and enrich their ability to both engage in their own economic development and contribute to the strength of their families, communities, and economies.

Junior Achievement Uganda (JA) is a non-profit organization established in 2008 in Uganda as a member nation of JA Worldwide operating mainly in schools & for the last 3 years, involving out of school youth impacting over 130000 learners with the JA flagship program—the JA Company Program to date.

Media Contact:

Media Contact:

T: +256 703 105136

[email protected]

Junior Achievement Uganda through its regional office Junior Achievement Africa and Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential in Asia and Africa, partnered to educate and inspire Africa’s youth on financial literacy through the Cha Ching program.

The Cha Ching program primarily targets students ages 9-11 years, teaching them lessons that focus on four financial concepts; Earn, Save, Spend and Donate, and provide tools for them to become financially savvy adults.

Pupils are encouraged to use critical thinking to make decisions on how they manage their money applying the four concepts: Earn, Save, Spend and Donate in their daily lives which supports positive attitudes as they explore and enhance their money management skills early in life.

The program was undertaken by 17 schools in Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono in 2021.  JA Uganda greatly appreciates the support and close work relationship we have had with the ministry of Education and sports and the education departments in Kampala City Council Authority, Mukono and Wakiso districts.

This program is funded by Prudence Foundation the Community Investment arm of Prudential in Asia. This is in an effort to bring lasting impact to societies through sustainable initiatives focused on education.

Mr. George Muteekanga, Commissioner Private Schools and Institutions at the Ministry of Education and Sports attended the closing ceremony and said that “today’s economic challenges affect young people tremendously if not tackled with expertise. Empowering young people to transform their future and own their success is something this program excels at and this creates a positive impact”

An astute and experienced banking and financial expert, Ayeyemi will be joining 16 accomplished professionals on the JA Africa Board. Fifteen of JA Africa Board members are independent directors who have elected to serve pro bono. Their leadership, governance and oversight functions advances JA’s mission of shaping the future of work for Africa’s youth.

“I am delighted to welcome Ade Ayeyemi to our esteemed board,” said JA Africa Board Chair, Charles Olumuyiwa Moyela. “Ayeyemi is a world-class professional and an accomplished business leader. He brings invaluable expertise and solid knowledge of Africa’s economic development issues to the JA Africa board.”

 

“At a time like this, his experience, leadership and counsel will help shape JA’s strategic partnerships across sub-Sahara Africa as the organization hones the productive potential of Africa’s youth,” Moyela further remarked.

As the world grapples with the social and economic aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, Africa’s youth are the worst hit due to the widespread closure of schools, rising unemployment and inequality, and poor health infrastructure. A recent report by the International Labour Organization, “Youth and Covid-19: impacts on jobs, education, rights and mental well-being,” has said the Covid-19 crisis is having a devastating impact on the education and training of young people.

According to the report, 70% of young persons who study or combine study with work have been adversely affected by the 2020 global health crisis. It highlights large ‘digital divides’ between regions, with youth living in lower-income countries, who have less access to the internet, a lack of equipment and often a lack of space at home.

JA Africa’s approach to mitigating these challenges is a hybrid formula of combining in-person and virtual program execution models; JA country teams in 14 African countries have also successfully pivoted some of their programs onto digital platforms, including its signature Company of the Year program.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Mr. Ayeyemi join the JA Africa board at this time because the Ecobank Group’s network across 33 African countries as well as Mr. Ayeyemi’s heartfelt desire to contribute to the growth and well-being of Africa’s youth will be significant drivers towards achieving our goal of rapid expansion across the continent to prepare millions of young Africans for future success,” said Simi Nwogugu, CEO of JA Africa. “I am also grateful for the opportunity to be personally mentored by one of Africa’s most experienced business leaders who has lived and worked in several countries across the continent.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Ayeyemi said: “60% of the population in Africa consists of young people aged below 25, which calls for all decision makers to join hands and focus on creating an enabling environment for them to thrive. I am therefore honoured to serve on the board of JA Africa where I will be able to further contribute towards building a better Africa for them to succeed.”

About JA Africa

Visit www.ja-africa.org

About Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (‘ETI’ or ‘The Group’)

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (‘ETI’) is the parent company of the Ecobank Group, the leading independent pan-African banking group. The Ecobank Group employs over 14,800 people and serves about 24 million customers in the consumer, commercial and corporate banking sectors across 33 African countries. The Group has a banking license in France and representative offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Johannesburg, South Africa; Beijing, China; London, the UK and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. The Group offers a full suite of banking products, services and solutions including bank and deposit accounts, loans, cash management, advisory, trade, securities, wealth and asset management. ETI is listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchanges in Lagos, the Ghana Stock Exchange in Accra, and the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières in Abidjan. For further information please visit www.ecobank.com