An estimated 3,000 students from 100 secondary schools across the country are set to take part in the inaugural Wavumbuzi Entrepreneurship Challenge- a six-week online gamified learning.

The programme will kick-off on January 18 and end on February 28. Eligible students are those in secondary schools and have access to the internet, as the program will be held online.

According to Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy, organizer of the challenge, the programme will help learners develop or nurture five entrepreneurial mindsets.

They include drive, resilience, self-efficacy, initiative, and innovative thinking, all of which will equip them for success as they enter the future global workplace.

"The program will ensure that students are exposed to challenges in form of games and each challenge aims to create a memorable learning experience that is both practical and relevant in real-world scenarios,” said Aline Kabanda, Country Representative of Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy.

She added: "We want students to grow with an entrepreneurial mindset that is vital nowadays in order to confront both local and global challenges.”

The Wavumbuzi Curriculum is delivered via about 34 micro-challenges, with around 6 new challenges being announced per week.

Learners across the country will compete against each other by completing the weekly challenges, and the top-performing students, supportive teachers and schools being rewarded with weekly incentives and a selection of exciting grand prizes, mainly electronic gadgets, slated for March 31.

Since its launch in South Africa in 2016, the Wavumbuzi Entrepreneurship Challenge, formerly known as the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge, has reached over 30,000 students in South Africa and Kenya.

According to Kabanda, in Rwanda, the number of students participating in the Challenge will be increasing gradually edition after edition.

She said: "We will launch Wavumbuzi in Rwanda in January 2021 with a limited number of schools for this first edition. This will allow us to effectively launch it in schools, provide adequate support and measure the Challenge’s effectiveness.”

"Given the Wavumbuzi Challenge will be implemented annually, from the second edition of the Challenge onwards, we expect to have as many students as possible participate in this exciting learning and growth opportunity,” she added.

Experts predict that between 20 and 30 percent of jobs globally will be ‘displaced’ by 2030 due to advancements in automation and globalization, which is expected to lead to the emergence of new jobs in sectors that are yet to exist.

According to Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy, students who are best prepared for the future are change agents in this regard.

On this note, Kabanda encouraged both students and schools to take hold of the learning opportunity given to them and register online via Wavumbuzi Entrepreneurship Challenge’s website. It is expected that eligible schools will be announced before the start of the competition, meaning before January 18, 2021.