Total in Uganda launches 2nd edition of the Startupper of the Year challenge

Kampala, 2 October 2018 - Total in Uganda is pleased to announce the launch of the Startupper of the Year 2018 – 2019 edition; this follows the success of the first edition that was launched in 2015.

The Total Startupper of the Year is a campaign that ties directly to the Group values of having a pioneer spirit through innovation and standing together with our community. Total calls on young people to submit their projects for the creation or development of a company in any business sector. The aim is to turn young people’s innovations and passions into sustainable businesses.

Total in Uganda has launched the Startupper of the Year challenge to support innovative projects in the country. The call for projects is free and open to any Ugandan citizen aged 35 years and below.

While launching the contest at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, Mr. Pierre Jessua, the Country Chair for Total in Uganda, said:  “Total wishes to encourage and support entrepreneurship through a social and societal challenge, aiming at a tangible contribution to the African economy emergence. The strong and demanding expectations of young Africans in terms of employment, that are not satisfied by the current offer from the public and private sectors, is one of the challenges of the continent, hence the need to encourage entrepreneurship initiatives.”

Initiated by the Total Group in 39 African countries simultaneously, the Challenge will support innovative projects which are less than 2-years old. “The Startupper of the Year by Total Challenge is a compelling communications opportunity that will offer finalists and winners significant exposure as they will be able to benefit from the wide coverage of the Total network in order to create visibility for their projects as well as benefit from financial and professional assistance from the Group.”

The application process will start on 9 October 2018 and end on November 13 2018. Application and contest rules are directly available on the website: http://startupper.total.com/. At least UGX 114,000,000 will be awarded to the three winning projects.

A new category has also been introduced this year for each country where there will be an award for Top Female Entrepreneur. With this special recognition, Total is encouraging women to participate in greater numbers in the Startupper Challenge.

A jury of professionals will preselect up to ten of the best projects in Uganda based on the following criteria: how innovative, original and daring the project is, its development potential and its capacity to improve the living conditions of the populations. The 10 finalists shall then present to the jury that shall choose the best projects. The results will be announced during the awards ceremony.

Highlighting the success of the first edition, Mr Obi Imemba, the Managing Director, Total Uganda Ltd said, “The first edition was launched in 2015 in 34 African countries. There were 24,000 applications, 11,000 eligible applications and 102 winners. In Uganda, 190 eligible applications were received out of 390, making us the third country after Nigeria and Kenya. Samuel Malinga, Arthur Woniala and Gloria Kalyango were subsequently announced as the winners of the initial edition of the Uganda challenge.”

The Startupper of the Year challenge by Total is part of Total’s global initiative of supporting the socioeconomic development of all the countries where it operates worldwide. It is a very concrete action launched to locally contribute to the reinforcement of the industrial fabric and to employment on the African continent, by supporting the most daring and innovative entrepreneurs in realising their project. This approach targets the emergence of new initiatives, while respecting the Total Group values.