Anambra school wins UK innovation global competition

In a world steadily awakening to the raw genius emerging from Africa’s soil, a private school in Anambra State, Myrtle Vine Academy, has carved its name in golden letters by winning the United Kingdom-organised ‘Global Schools Connect’ competition for selected schools across the globe.

Myrtle Vine Academy, already known for its deep commitment to global relevance, stole the spotlight ahead of some United Kingdom-based schools and other schools from around the world when it represented Nigeria at the 2025 ‘Global Schools Connect’ competition, an event held in the United Kingdom.

The groundbreaking event held virtually on June 19 saw spirited participation from top-ranking schools on both sides of the Atlantic, reminding the world that true innovation often rises from quiet places.

Global Schools Connect is a high-profile UK-based programme that links schools across the world through collaborative, solution-driven projects, with awards like the “Director’s Award” given to young talents who dared to deliver change.

The students of Myrtle Vine Academy triumphed in a project titled ‘BizApp’, a creative solution born to confront Africa’s unemployment and production crisis head-on.

According to the organisers, it was designed to foster creative talents and sharpen the critical thinking, oratory and reasoning skills of students from all participating countries.

The school Director, Ebele Njoku, who expressed a palpable mood during the award celebration on Tuesday, hailed the team’s triumph as proof of the school’s enduring commitment to excellence, discipline, and global relevance.

Njoku said, “This victory is a validation of the quality of education and moral formation that Myrtle Vine Academy stands for. Our students have demonstrated not only academic brilliance but also the courage to engage in global challenges.

“We are proud of their achievement and trust that this marks the beginning of many more global successes for them and for Nigeria. It was a moment etched in history, one that echoed across the auditorium and resonated back home like the joyful toll of a village bell

In a time when African youths are often accused of fleeing their roots, these ones are choosing to plant and build. Myrtle Vine Academy is not just a school. It is a citadel of possibility, a launchpad for ideas that dare to transform a continent.”

Leading the school team was Njoku Chimbundom, whose calm, yet commanding presence captured the essence of what it means to be a 21st-century changemaker.

Representing her group (Team Myrtaceae), alongside teammate Okolo Joan, Chimbundom presented “BizApp”, an innovation designed to reduce unemployment by at least 35 per cent while fostering a culture of sustainable local production.

Chimbundom highlighted that the “BizApp”, rooted in ‘Sustainable Development Goal 1 – No Poverty’, is more than an application. “It is a declaration of intent, a call to action”.

For her impact, Chimbundom received the prestigious Director’s Award for Social Enterprise, presented to an innovative young person whose entrepreneurial insight addresses national challenges with measurable success.

The same team was also celebrated in the Creative Impact Award category, where Okolo Joan was declared winner, with Chimbundom as runner-up. It was a sisterhood of excellence, a partnership in brilliance that illuminated the global stage.
The students were guided by inspiring teachers.

Myrtle Vine’s victory is no sudden bloom. In 2024, the school was first runner-up in the National Girls in ICT Challenge and recipient of the “Trailblazers Award”, personally handed over by Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, a forward-thinking technocrat championing youth-led innovation.

To crown their streak of excellence, Myrtle Vine was also honoured by Global Hub UK as one of the best private schools in Africa. A rare feat for any school in Africa.

In May 2025, World Denvas, USA, a globally recognised educational research body, ranked Myrtle Vine Academy as the 11th best school in Innovation worldwide. Not just in Africa.