At a time when Uganda’s youth population is often described as the country’s greatest asset, one question continues to loom large: how can that potential be turned into opportunity?

It is a timely question for a country where nearly 70% of the population is under 24, yet youth unemployment remains stubbornly high. For Stanbic Bank, part of the answer lies not only in teaching new skills, but in recognising that many young people already possess the ideas, creativity, and problem-solving instinct needed to shape the future.

That thinking sits at the heart of the Stanbic National Schools Championship, whose entry deadline has now been extended to March 29, 2026, giving more schools the opportunity to participate.

The extension gives more secondary and vocational schools across Uganda a chance to take part in the competition, which is designed to foster innovation and entrepreneurship among students and teachers. This year, the call is to Flex Your Genius – an invitation to think beyond the expected and bring forward ideas with real-world relevance, rather than simply focus on academic performance.

Under the theme Powering Innovation for Job Creation, participating schools will take on a structured innovation challenge, supported by practical toolkits and guided materials to help refine their business ideas ahead of bootcamp. This process allows students to test, improve, and strengthen their concepts before presenting them at a higher level.

Top-performing students and teachers will then earn a place at a five-day residential business bootcamp, where they will further develop their ideas and entrepreneurial skills. A combined UGX 100 million prize pool awaits outstanding schools, teachers, and alumni, recognising both effort and impact.

More than a competition, the championship is positioning itself as a platform for possibility — one that asks schools to look closely at the young minds in their classrooms and consider what they might become, given the right platform, guidance, and exposure.

With the deadline fast approaching, schools are encouraged to act promptly to ensure their participation.

Applications are open at www.stanbicnsc.ug.