Sedes Sapientiae Academiae in Kiruhura District has won the 11th Stanbic National Schools Championship (NSC) with an innovative multi-purpose poultry feed-making machine designed to help farmers reduce feed-processing costs and improve profitability.Steven Turyamwesiimire, one of the students behind the innovation, said the idea was born out of a challenge faced by poultry farmers who have raw inputs, but can barely afford processing costs.“Farmers have the poultry feeds but lack ways of processing them, which becomes costly. So, we decided to make a machine that can help farmers process their feeds at home without buying processed feed. This helps them reduce feeding costs by up to 60% and increase their monthly profits,” he said.The student-led Agritech innovation enables poultry farmers to chop and grind different types of animal feed at home. It provides an affordable alternative to costly feed-processing services while also potentially improving the nutritional value of their animal feed.Turyamwesiimire said the machine stands out, because it can chop and grind different types of animal feed while also being affordable and accessible to farmers.He credited the Stanbic National Schools Championship with giving students the skills and confidence to turn community challenges into practical solutions.Stanbic Chief Executive, Mumba Kalifungwa giving his remarks during the Grand finaleHe said, “Stanbic Bank has gone a long way in training young people to be job creators instead of job seekers. It is a very big achievement for us and for them. We appreciate Stanbic and urge them to continue supporting as many young people in the country as possible.”The Championship places emphasis on equipping young people with practical skills, innovation and entrepreneurial mindsets needed to address socio-economic challenges.Speaking at the grand finale, the Chief Guest, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Eng. Dr. Jonard Asiimwe, commended the creativity and problem-solving abilities demonstrated by Uganda’s young people, noting that innovation is critical to the country’s economic transformation.“It is a great privilege to join you as we celebrate the creativity, innovation and problem-solving abilities of Uganda’s young people in addressing community challenges,” he said.Asiimwe said the Championship comes at an important time as Uganda transforms its education system through the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC), which places greater emphasis on practical skills, knowledge and mindsets aligned with national development priorities.“The CBC is especially important because it promotes hands-on learning and practical application, enabling students to identify and solve real socio-economic challenges rather than relying primarily on memorisation and theoretical knowledge,” he said.He stressed the need to equip young people with practical STEM skills, digital literacy and competencies relevant to Uganda’s strategic economic sectors, including agriculture, industry, healthcare and finance.He said the Government wants young Ugandans to embrace emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, while promoting technology-driven industrialisation, intellectual property protection and the commercialisation of promising innovations.Against this backdrop, the Minister applauded Stanbic Bank and its partners for their continued investment in young people through the National Schools Championship.“I applaud Stanbic for helping to shift the mindset among young Ugandans from job seeking to job creation,” he said.Eng. Asiimwe said the Championship’s evolution over 11 years demonstrates the value of sustained investment in youth development.“What began as a platform for essays and oral quizzes on financial literacy has evolved into a powerful national platform equipping thousands of students with entrepreneurial, financial and problem-solving skills,” he said.The Minister also welcomed the collaboration between Government, the private sector, schools and communities in strengthening the link between education and the world of work.He encouraged Stanbic Bank and other partners to deepen these collaborations by connecting young innovators with government institutions and relevant private-sector players for further exposure, technical support and opportunities to develop and commercialise their innovations.“This partnership demonstrates what is possible when Government, the private sector, schools and communities work together to create sustainable opportunities for our youth,” he said.He told participating students to see the Championship not simply as a competition, but as a platform that could shape their future careers and enterprises.“Whether you win today or not, you are all winners. Your participation is already an achievement. Some of you will go on to lead companies, create jobs, develop transformative technologies or shape public policy. This platform could very well be your launch pad,” he said.The Commissioner for Secondary Schools at the Ministry of Education and Sports, Mrs. Juliet Muzoora Atuhire, also commended Stanbic Bank for investing in young people. She said the benefits extend beyond individual learners to schools and communities.“I would like to commend Stanbic Bank for this initiative, because teaching young people has a multiplier effect in the communities, the school communities and also the communities from which the students and learners come,” she said.She particularly welcomed the Championship’s alumni component, noting that sustainability and continuity are critical to ensuring that innovations and good practices continue beyond the competition.She said, “I would like to applaud Stanbic Bank for the initiative of the alumni champions. When we have such innovations and interventions, we usually don’t think about sustainability and posterity. I applaud Stanbic Bank for thinking about the posterity not only of the economy of Uganda and the businesses of these young people, but also about sustaining the good practices.” The Stanbic Bank Uganda Chief Executive Mumba Kalifungwa congratulated all students who participated and commended their creativity, teamwork, purpose and perseverance.“First and foremost, I would like to extend congratulations to all the students who participated in this 11th edition of the Stanbic National Schools Championship. Your hard work, creativity, and teamwork have truly been inspiring, and I commend each and every one of you for your commitment and perseverance,” he said.Mumba said the Championship has evolved significantly since its inception, growing from a quiz competition into a platform that develops the practical skills young people need to navigate an increasingly changing world of work.He said, “Ten years ago, the Championship started as a simple quiz competition, but has evolved into an exciting and popular scaling programme.”Mumba said through the programme, students develop critical skills including teamwork, leadership, discipline, problem-solving, financial literacy and entrepreneurship competencies that are increasingly important in preparing young people for employment and enterprise.The growing demand for the programme was reflected in this year’s participation, with applications received from more than 1,000 schools.In response to this demand, Stanbic increased the number of schools participating in the boot camp from 150 in 2024 to 200 schools in 2026, further expanding the reach of the programme.Over the past decade, Stanbic Bank has invested more than UGX 7 billion in the programme, which has positively impacted more than half a million learners, teachers and community members as well as youth empowerment initiatives.The Championship comprises two key categories: the Student Spark Challenge, which supports schools with innovative ideas, and the Business Fellowship, which enables alumni students and teachers from previous seasons to further refine and scale their businesses.Mumba said youth empowerment remains closely aligned with Stanbic Bank’s purpose and sustainability agenda, particularly as Uganda continues to address the challenge of youth unemployment.“With nearly 75% of the population under 30 years of age and 11 million students enrolled in formal education, the NSC aims to equip students with essential skills that encourage self-initiative, to be proactive rather than just react,” he said.This year’s prize pool of more than UGX 100 million features active support to students, schools and their evolving entrepreneurial journeys.Mumba reaffirmed Stanbic Bank’s commitment to investing in young people as a critical component of the bank’s purpose.“At Stanbic Bank, our purpose is, ‘Uganda is our home, we drive her growth’. We believe that purposeful investment in young people, who make up the majority of our population, is critical for Uganda’s transformational agenda,” he said.The commitment is further reflected in Stanbic’s three-year Positive Impact Agenda, which earmarks UGX 1 trillion by 2028 to unlock new opportunities for women, youth and farmers.The agenda focuses on enterprise development and job creation, infrastructure development, access to finance, climate resilience and corporate philanthropy, with the aim of building resilience, fostering innovation and enabling inclusive growth.As Stanbic Bank celebrates 35 years of operations in Uganda, the National Schools Championship represents part of the bank’s broader investment in the country’s future nurturing a generation of young people equipped to innovate, create jobs and contribute to sustainable economic growth.Mumba said innovation must also be accompanied by a commitment to sustainability and responsible development. “As we laud innovation, we must also remember our responsibility to the planet and society. We urgently need innovative solutions designed with sustainability in mind. Young people can drive sustainable growth through fresh innovation, digital skills, and community action.”During the announcement, Iganga Secondary School emerged first runner up, St.Kizito High School Namugongo was second runner up and Aga Khan High School was the third runner up.The 11th Stanbic National Schools Championship therefore closes another chapter in a journey that has evolved from a financial literacy competition into a national platform for nurturing Uganda’s next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators and problem-solversThe post Kiruhura School’s Poultry Feed Machine Wins Big at Stanbic Championship appeared first on The Insider.