2021-05-03
3rd May 2021, Johannesburg, South Africa - The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has announced the launch of the second edition of the DBSA Youth Challenge, a competition aimed at harnessing innovative solutions from young people in South Africa to help address infrastructure challenges.
The competition calls for young people aged between 18 and 35 to submit their innovative infrastructure development ideas across various sectors for funding and implementation consideration. The ideas should align with the DBSA’s key sectors, which are, Transport, Housing and Human Settlements, ICT, Water and Sanitation, Energy and Education.
Winning and finalist entries will be eligible for funding worth a total of R1.5 million for the execution of their ideas. The winners and finalists will also be awarded a 12-month mentorship programme to assist with executing their innovative ideas and building them into successful businesses. Entries must be original and not entered into any competition before, innovative, scalable and feasible to implement. All entries should be in the ideation stage and should not have been prototyped. Submissions are open from 28th April 2021; they will close on 31st July 2021 and the final winner will be announced during the month of September 2021.
“The emergence of COVID-19 has shown some cracks in the infrastructure endowment of many countries, including South Africa, highlighting the urgency of the need for meaningful solutions. The DBSA Youth Challenge is one of the many ways the Bank is inviting young people to participate and help make a difference to these challenges in their own communities,” said Sebolelo Matsoso, Head of Communications and Marketing at the DBSA.
The winner from the first edition of the DBSA Youth Challenge was Kekeletso Tsiloane. Hers was a Housing/ Human Settlements idea centred on the manufacturing of innovative composite bricks made from recycled plastic, sand and proprietary additives that ensure that the blocks are strong, durable and fire retardant. The process does not use water, but only plastic waste, allowing for the indirect employment of waste pickers. In second place was an ICT sector idea from Zuko Mandlakazi, which was a soundwave sensor-embedded product that assists deaf people to be more present and alert to life-saving sounds. Third place was a tie between Lebogang Joy Leshabane with a Water and Sanitation idea for a biogas purification system that produces high grade methane from sewage treatment plants; and Francois de Beer with a solar tracking kit that can be retrofitted to any existing solar installation for the Energy sector.
“The competition is a great spring board for young people to explore and package their innovative ideas and use them to participate in the economy at scale. This is a key driver for the DBSA hence the competition has been developed to ensure ample guidance, mentorship and support for the winner and finalists,” continued Matsoso.
Interested individuals can read more about the competition and submit their entries on https://dbsayouthchallenge.org
Ends
Note to Editors:
About the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is a leading Development Finance Institution (DFI) in Africa. Established in 1983, the DBSA participates across the entire infrastructure value chain and provides planning, project preparation, financing, and implementation support for economic and social infrastructure in South Africa, SADC and the rest of the African continent. The institution’s mission is to improve people’s lives, boost economic growth and promote regional integration through infrastructure development.
For more information, visit www.dbsa.org
For further information contact:
DBSA Media Relations