The students of Mater Amabilis Secondary School, Umuoji in Anambra State, have won the 2023 National Entrepreneurship Exhibition and Awards competition. This remarkable achievement came after fierce competition from 20 top secondary schools across the country.
The annual competition, organized by the Nigerian segment of the Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship, is aimed at equipping students in the areas of entrepreneurial and technical skills. The event, held from June 25 to 28, 2023, at the Area Council Service Commission House in Garki, Abuja, showcased the innovative ideas and entrepreneurial skills of the participating teams.
Mater Amabilis Secondary School impressed the judges with their outstanding projects, securing the overall first position. Their projects include a hydroelectric device that converts salt water into electricity and a multi-purpose agro machine capable of weeding, irrigating, seeding, fumigating, and monitoring soil moisture and nutrient levels.
These groundbreaking solutions demonstrated the students’ creativity, innovation, and commitment to addressing pressing societal challenges. With this feat, Mater Amabilis Secondary School has earned them the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the upcoming SAGE World Cup in Italy later this year. Moreover, the gold-winning students have been granted a 100 percent scholarship to study at Cyprus International University.
The team was led by Joshua Ekeh and Grace Amamudi. Ekeh was also recognized as the SAGE Best Mentor of the Year award. The Manager of Mater Amabilis Secondary School, Rev. Fr. Francis Onwuchulum, in his reaction, extended his heartfelt congratulations to the students for their exceptional performance, considering it another milestone in the school’s history of success.
Onwuchulum urged the award-winning students to “remain focused in their studies and view the triumph as a stepping stone towards even greater accomplishments in life”. He lauded the Proprietor of the School, Most Rev. Valerian Maduka Okeke, the Archbishop of Onitsha, whom he described as the brain behind all the achievements the school has recorded in recent times.
