KUWAIT: Last week, Gulf Bank concluded its sponsorship of Injaz Kuwait's annual 'Company Program' competition as part of its long-standing partnership with the non-profit organization. This year, nine students participated in the annual competition, and pitched a variety of business ideas and projects to a panel of judges.

This year's competition was held virtually through various telecommunications applications, with youth-led company, Playstic, announced as the winner at the high school level. Playstic works to develop interactive and entertaining games composed of recycled materials in an effort to reduce obesity rates in children and minimize pollutants that harm the environment. Sayarti, an online platform that connects drivers to various auto repair services, took home the 'Company Program' prize at the university level. The winners will compete with others at the regional competition scheduled to be held in Morocco later this year.

The 'Company Program' competition took place over the course of two days from July 3-4. On the first day of the competition, the students' various projects were scored by a panel of judges who met at the Chairmen Club in KIPCO, with Tareq Al-Saleh, Deputy General Manager of the Economic Research Unit at Gulf Bank, representing the Bank on the judging panel this year. On the second day of the competition, Injaz Kuwait announced this year's winners.

Ahmad Al-Amir, Assistant General Manager of Corporate Communications at Gulf Bank, commented: "We would like to congratulate Playstic and Sayarti on winning this year's Company Program competition, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors, as they start preparing to represent Kuwait at Injaz's annual regional competition. We would also like to thank Injaz Kuwait for organizing this program, and are proud to continue this partnership that enables us to support the next generation of young entrepreneurs."

INJAZ Kuwait, part of the global network of Junior Achievement worldwide, is a non-profit (NPO), non-governmental organization (NGO) driven by Kuwait's private sector. Through strategic partnerships with Kuwait's business and education sectors, and with the help of qualified and dedicated volunteers, INJAZ delivers both Arabic and English language educational programs on entrepreneurial and leadership skills to build successful careers.

Gulf Bank continues to sponsor Injaz Kuwait as part of its commitment to encourage and develop professional work skills among young adults. It is worth noting that Injaz Kuwait is a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to educating and training Kuwait's youth in workforce readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. Gulf Bank is committed to maintaining a robust social sustainability program, heading various educational initiatives throughout the year that have a sustainable impact on the lives of youth and society.