For the third year in a row, Tirana Bank supported young entrepreneurs at the National Entrepreneurship Festival, organized by Junior Achievement Albania in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Albanian-American Foundation for Development. The National Entrepreneurship Festival is the finalization of the Student Company program, by Junior Achievement Albania, whose focus is empowering young people through financial education.
The several-month challenge of the Student Company 2024 program engaged 2,132 students from 52 higher secondary schools, who set up their own companies in areas such as Green Economy, IT and Innovation, Web, and Applications. What is worth mentioning is the fact that 74% of the leaders of the Student Companies that participated in the competition this year were girls. This program extends throughout Albania, as a subject module, part of the elective curriculum of higher secondary education, with the aim of injecting young people with the principles and skills of entrepreneurship and financial education.
After the end of the Regional Festivals in Shkodër and Vlora, 95 students, part of 19 winning companies, were selected for the final stage, where they competed for nine prizes. Tirana Bank, the only supporting financial institution for three years now, was part of the jury of the festival, where it awarded the first two prizes.
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The National Entrepreneurship Festival Winners
The Social Enterprise Award was awarded to the company Kaleidos from TES High School in Tirana, by Manjola Capo, Head of the Credit Division at Tirana Bank. Whereas the Best Entrepreneurial Company of 2024 Award was awarded to the company Eco Empathy from Said Najdeni High School in Peshkopi, by the CEO of Tirana Bank, Dritan Mustafa. As the winner of the first prize, Eco Empathy, whose focus is to reduce pollution through recycling and decomposition, will represent Albania at the European Festival of Entrepreneurship, which takes place in Catania, Italy, by JA Europe.
In his speech, the CEO of Tirana Bank, Dritan Mustafa, spoke with pride about the cooperation for the third year in a row with Junior Achievement Albania, in support of education and financial literacy. He appreciated the creativity of young people, the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in their projects.
The National Entrepreneurship Festival is a challenging journey for all students, who, thanks to their ambition and hard work, are paving their way to success. Year after year, with the support of institutions such as Tirana Bank, this festival continues to train and motivate the youth towards entrepreneurship.