High stakes showdown as Stanbic National Schools Championship enters final lap

July 24, 2025 in Companies by Editor

Stanbic Head of Corporate Social Investment, Diana Ondoga supervising one of prototypes during the appraisal visit to Western Uganda.JPG

Excitement is mounting as eight schools from across Uganda prepare for the grand finale of the Stanbic National Schools Championship (NSC) 2025, set for August 29 at Mestil Hotel, Kampala.

Now in its 10th edition, the NSC has become a leading platform for nurturing youth innovation and entrepreneurship. This year’s championship saw over 500 students from more than 150 schools engage in a competitive, seven-month journey that tested their creativity, business acumen, and problem-solving skills.

According to Cathy Adengo, Head of Sustainability at Stanbic Bank Uganda, the championship started with 150 secondary schools under the Student Spark category and 12 alumni-led enterprises under the Business Fellowship category. After a tough selection process during a boot camp at Seroma Christian School in Mukono, the pool was whittled down from 150 to just eight finalists, each representing Uganda’s four regions.

Among the contenders is St. Noah SSS Mawaggali, whose WalkMate Smart Glasses aim to transform mobility for the visually impaired by integrating smart eyewear with a locator and cane system. Other standout projects include Summayya High School’s UTI detector and Sacred Heart Secondary School – Mushanga’s automatic institutional water pumping system, which has already recorded commercial uptake.

Ibanda Secondary School impressed judges with insect-repellent candles made from coffee and cloves, while St. Mary’s Girls Secondary School Mandera developed a flexible-use diabetes testing kit. Musana Vocational High School entered an independent power system that operates without solar, gas, or fuel.

Comboni College Lira brought forward a smoke-free electric generator tailored for rural energy needs, and Mentor Secondary School developed an automated patient-monitoring device for intravenous therapy management.

Diana Ondoga, Head of Corporate Social Investment at Stanbic, underscored the initiative’s broader impact. “The NSC equips youth with entrepreneurial and practical skills, fostering innovation and problem-solving,” she said, adding that the programme has reached over 500,000 students and led to the creation of more than 200 youth-run businesses.

The championship complements Uganda’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) by promoting hands-on skills relevant to real-world challenges. In line with Stanbic’s “Women, Youth and Farmers (WYF)” strategy, the initiative targets youth as a core segment of economic transformation.

The winning school will walk away with a solar panel system worth UGX 20 million, while the runner-up will receive a UGX 10 million water system. The remaining finalists will each receive scholastic materials. A fully paid trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, awaits the top two students and their mentor teacher.

As the clock ticks toward the final, Uganda awaits which school will emerge as the 2025 champion in what promises to be a high-stakes showdown of youthful innovation.