by Oge Okonkwo

In order to boost discussions and promote projects around education, entrepreneurship, technology and agriculture which are the four thematic areas of the upcoming SHAPE Africa 2014 event scheduled to hold in Abuja in May, the Abuja Global Shapers have announced the launch of ‘I AM BOLD’ competition.

The curator of the Abuja Global Shapers, Joycee Awojoodu, announced the competition on Tuesday while speaking to journalists in Abuja. According to her, the competition is part of the lead up to SHAPE Africa 2014 and an opportunity for the Abuja Hub to showcase bold solutions young people are initiating to tackle some of Africa’s biggest challenges. She said, ‘our goal is to amplify the voices and work of young African change agents and seize the opportunity to provide a platform to engage potential partners and international media in the great work that young people are championing across the continent.’

Awojoodu further stated that, ‘the competition requires that participants produce a one minute video showcasing a high impact project that they as individuals or organization are executing. In the end, five applicants will be shortlisted and invited to attend SHAPE Africa. The videos will be reviewed at the event and three final projects will emerge as winners.’

According to her, winners of the competition will get the opportunity for professional mentorship from the Abuja Global Shapers as they execute or scale up their project; cash prizes will also be awarded for project implementation. Winners will get extensive networking opportunities and publicity for their project. To participate in the ‘I AM BOLD’ competition, participants are encouraged upload their one minute video of a high impact project to YouTube.

SHAPE Africa is an annual regional meeting of Global Shapers from the continent of Africa. It serves as forum for change makers to discuss and proffer practical solutions to some of the continent’s most pressing challenges.