Ghana - Startup under 3 years old

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Lead First Academy is a non-profit inclusive soccer residency academy in Ghana, providing a full-time multidisciplinary academy program for the brightest and most talented disadvantaged boys and girls in rural Ghana.

01.01 Describe your startup in more detail

Vision: By 2040, Lead First Academy will be the first-ever fully Ghanaian owned non-profit Academy of excellence that provides talented youth with high-quality full-time academic classes and professional football training with technical and life skills sessions; preparing them to thrive and lead as ethical leaders in a rapidly changing world. Mission: Provide the finest youth soccer and academic training environment that identifies, develops and prepares student-athletes to be all they can be - ethically, athletically, and academically - and provide them with a foundation for success in all aspects of their lives. Core Objectives: Identify sports talents in disadvantaged communities and give them a chance at building careers in football and out of football. Engage children in physical, moral, technical and vocational education with a view to reduce crime rate, drug abuse and child abuse. train children to be sustainably green and protect the environment.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

The importance of sports is diverse and broad, ranging from its role in individual economic value, health promotion and fitness, to peace building and community regeneration. Football is the leading participative and spectator sport in the world. However, children from rural Africa and girls continue to be poorly represented, due to several challenges including the following No to little formal education: Despite considerable educational progress, school dropout rate among children with football talent in rural Ghana is very high. Some children will never enter school, the majority who do drop out. No or little professional training support. Very expensive football academies. Bad character and indiscipline behavior. Lack of access and exposure: Many youths do not reach their full potential due to the lack of adequate exposure to a nurturing environment in all aspects of their lives. Gender inequality: No. of girls in football are very low and LFA seeks to close that gap.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your startup provides (at least 3).

Quality Holistic Education: LFA prepares students using the Ghana Education Service (GES) curriculum in an IB teaching & learning style. LFA offers additional technical training skills in parallel. The provision of the dual system enables us to better cater to our diverse student body, which encompasses a broad array of talent, interests and different learning styles. Gender Equality: LFA ensures equity for eligible girls and women (students, and staff) to participate and succeed in a profession of high international support. Students are recruited with gender parity as one of the foci. Professional Football Training. LFA delivers professional coaching and a comprehensive football curriculum that renews bad habits, introduces fundamental techniques, and encourages our student­ athletes to think of the training to be more than just a professional exercise. Good Nutrition Quality Healthcare Life Skills: Respect, discipline, teamwork, ethical leadership, communication, empathy etc.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your startup’s product/service is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Lead First Academy is aimed at serving talented boys and girls from rural Ghana between the ages of 8 and 21 years old.

01.05 When was your company established?

2022-09-02

01.06 Are you already selling your product/service?

Yes

01.07 How many other owners are there within your startup?

1

01.08 Among the other owners, how many are female?

0

01.09 Please describe the profile of the other owners within your startup (skills, experience, etc.)

Co-Founder & CEO Vincent Dadzie is an educator and social entrepreneur with over 5 years of experience in teaching and leading programs. He completed his bachelor's degree in B.Ed. Accounting and Economics at the University of Cape Coast. In early 2020, he accomplished his studies at DePaul University as an international Baccalaureate (18) certified Educator in both MYP and OP. He is currently pursuing his MBA at the University of Illinois. He has served as the Country Lead and Academy Member at HundrED. He has served at UNESCO APCEIU and GCED Global Youth Network as an Ambassador. He was chosen as an Everyday Young Hero by Youth Service America (YSA). Lead for Ghana (LFG). In 2018, he participated in Youth leadership growth and professional development in Israel. He also participated in the 2019 UNESCO APCEIU 5th Youth Leadership Workshop the Republic of Korea. He believes that the future belongs to young people, and it is up to us to determine how we desire it to be.

01.10 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link(s) here:

https://leadfirstacademy.org

01.11 Which industry best describes your project?

Other: Education and sports

02.01.01 My startup contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification for my startup

My startup contributes to the No poverty goal by providing young boys and girls with opportunities to build their capacities and capabilities, provide them with professional development and equip them with employable skills that would be financially beneficial to them and their families in the future, in and outside of football. Education is the bedrock of development and gaining access to good quality education is a major step in moving out of poverty. This SDG 1 is particularly important to Lead First Academy as it forms the very foundation of the organization. The main beneficiaries are children from DISADVANTAGED AND POOR backgrounds and the goal is to give them hope for a better future.

02.02.01 My startup contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification for my startup

Lead First Academy is committed to eradicating hunger by providing good, nutritious and balanced diets to all our student-athletes. Lead First Academy goes beyond field practice and mental education; the most important part of the process of nurturing our footballers is their diet. LFA ensures that our student­-athletes have balanced, nutrient-rich diets. LFA provides three meals and ample purified drinking water on a daily basis both on the pitch and off the pitch.

02.03.01 My startup contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification for my startup

Lead First Academy ensures that each of our students undergoes routine medical checks to maintain optimal health and well-being. Some of these checks includes but are not limited to Full blood count, liver function test, kidney test, pulmonary function test, ECG, eye tests, sickle cell tests etc. An enabling environment has also been set up to ensure that our student-athletes live in a healthy space that enhances their growth and promotes good health. Moving forward, we will be exploring options to establish a free clinic on campus. At the core of Lead First Academy is

02.04.01 My startup contributes to the Quality education goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification for my startup

Lead First Academy prepares students using the Ghana Education Service (GES) curriculum in an IB teaching & learning style. LFA offers additional technical training skills in parallel. The provision of the dual system enables us to better cater to our diverse student body, which encompasses a broad array of talent, interests and different learning styles. So far, the academy has been able to return 9 school dropouts back to the classroom. A remarkable achievement under the circumstances and with very limited resources.

02.05.01 My startup contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification for my startup

LFA ensures equity for eligible girls and women (students, and staff) to participate and succeed in a profession of high international support. Students are recruited with gender parity as one of the foci, particularly for the STEM programs that would be offered at LFA. LFA ensures that when staff appointments are made, every effort is made to find qualified women and encourage them to apply. We currently have a base team of over 25 females with two of these females part part of our core team. We currently have a staff strength of 7 people with 1 person being a female. We are also in the process of getting another female on board in a volunteering role. At Lead First Academy, females are given the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

02.06.01 My startup contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

5

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification for my startup

At lead the lead first academy campus, clean water and sanitation form a great part of what we are about. Our student-athletes are provided with clean water for drinking and utility purposes. Our sanitation facilities also meet the World Health Organization standards.

02.07.01 My startup contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

5

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification for my startup

In the near future, Lead First academy seeks to build a fully functional, state-of-the-art, multi-purpose campus and training facilities which would be home to our student athletes. These facilities would be powered by solar systems and other forms of renewable energy. We are committed to ensuring that the environment is protected at all times through our interventions.

02.08.01 My startup contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification for my startup

One of the main aims of Lead First Academy is to provide student-athletes with sustainable opportunities to gain decent work and economic growth in the future both in football and outside of football. It is a well-known fact that many individuals who venture into football do not make it into the professional world. The stats are that, despite having over 275 million soccer players worldwide, only about 129,000 make it to the professional world. This represents about 0.00047% of the number. This is mainly due to the lack of adequate support for players at the grass root level. There are very little professional coaches and equipment to help the young ones. The statistics are even worse in rural Africa. This leaves many players frustrated and unable to follow their dreams. Lead First Academy seeks to fill this gap by providing young kids with opportunities, which otherwise they would not have gotten, to gain a decent work and grow economically.

02.09.01 My startup contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

6

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification for my startup

Currently, the organization has an infrastructure facility which serves as a serene accommodation for our student-athletes, an office and a study center. We also have a natural grass pitch which is used for training purposes. In the near future and with adequate support and funding, Lead First Academy would build a modern campus and training center which would be home to our student athletes. This would comprise the following: World class football pitches - natural and artificial Fully furnished modern classrooms Fully equipped science laboratories Fully equipped ICT laboratories Fully furnished 30-bed dormitory for girls Fully furnished 60-bed dormitory for boys Well-equipped 50-seater library Administration block with conference room and offices Fully equipped indoor gym Fully equipped 120-seater dining hall/cafeteria 15-bed capacity sick bay/mini clinic. All structures would be constructed with modern architectures and with environmental sustainability at heart.

02.10.01 My startup contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification for my startup

At Lead First Academy we ensure that our scouting process is devoid of any form of discrimination based on sex, beliefs, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic status within a country. Our arms are open to accepting people from all over the world and we have demonstrated that with our current crop of student-athletes from diverse backgrounds.

02.11.01 My startup contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

5

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification for my startup

Lead First Academy is a residential academy which provides the finest human settlements for our student athletes. Our accommodation facility is inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable and is located in the heart of Takoradi in the Western region of Ghana.

02.12.01 My startup contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

2

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification for my startup

N/A

02.13.01 My startup contributes to the Climate action goal

2

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification for my startup

N/A

02.14.01 My startup contributes to the Life below water goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification for my startup

N/A

02.15.01 My startup contributes to the Life on land goal

5

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification for my startup

One major arm of Lead First Academy is football and the development and growth of natural grass is essential to the success of this. In this light, we currently have a standard sized natural football pitch which is being developed and managed to ensure that it is available for our student-athletes. At the same time, this helps to meet the SDG 15 Life and Land, combats desertification, halts biodiversity loss and reverses land degradation.

02.16.01 My startup contributes to the Peace Justice and Strong Institutions goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.16.02 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions- Justification for my startup

SDG 16 aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. At our academy, we align perfectly with this goal. Over the years, we have built an organization that is accountable to all stakeholders especially parents, effective in its operations and inclusive at all levels. One of our core objectives is to build friendship ties with stakeholders as well as other sports-oriented entities and participating in activities that promotes friendship, tolerance and fight against racism and all forms of discrimination. Our core values are humility, hard work, honesty, teamwork, respect, integrity and discipline. This we believe embodies the SDG 16 and places us in direct alignment to it.

02.17.01 My startup contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

5

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification for my startup

At Lead First Academy, we are committed to partnering with organizations that have the sustainable development goals at heart. We currently have partnerships with FIFA, the governing body of world football, Ghana Football Association (GFA) and other private organizations that are committed to ensuring that the SDG goals are met.

06.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

3

06.02 The product/service represents an entirely new type of product/service.

3

06.03 The product/service could be described as a new technology.

2

06.04 The product/service is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.05 The product/service could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

5

06.06 The product/service responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

5

06.07 The product/service is a new version of an old product/service.

6

06.08 Justification for my startup

Football is the most popular sport in the world. Education is a fundamental human right. In light of these, I would not say my startup is a new innovation. However, the service my startup provides blends football and education together in a structured way that provides opportunities for young children. This meets a very high demand in rural communities in Ghana where many talented youth are unable to gain access to opportunities to harness their talents and give them hope in life. It is an improvement of the existing service where footballers were not provided with structured platforms to breakthrough but rather had to be scouted by chance.

06.09 Competitive Analysis

The statistics tell us that, there are over 275 million footballers worldwide. However, only about 129,000 make it professionally. Despite the popularity of football, the development of football talent is a largely untapped mine. Our competitors are other football academies in Ghana and Africa. What makes Lead First Academy standout from the rest are below: Lead First Academy is a NON-PROFIT organization. This means that, student-athletes do not pay a single dime to the academy all through their years at the academy as compared to other academies where students have to pay very expensive fees to get enrolled regardless of the talent level. This gives LFA the advantage of scouting only the best and most talented kids. Lead First Academy is the first GHANAIAN OWNED RESIDENTIAL ACADEMY in Ghana. Most academies in Ghana are either foreign owned, non-residential or both. LFA combines football with high class education and character development. Others only focus on football.

11.05 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

Yes. At lead first academy, we do not only teach our student-athletes curricular material but extra curricular material as well. We encourage our students (both male and female) to develop entrepreneurial skills. This is particularly essential because it is a known fact that most footballers are unable to manage their resources after their playing days are long over. Entrepreneurship, especially female entrepreneurship, is important to the academy and we continually train our students in this regard.