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| Some corps members with Unity banks staff. |
Unity Bank Entrepreneurship Development Initiative - Corpreneurship Challenge, targeted at empowering fresh graduates and Corp Members on one-year compulsory national youth service has, in its ninth edition of the Corpreneurship Challenge held across 10 States recently, doled out N10 million grant to 30 winners.
The
winners emerged after a business pitch presentation held across 10 States;
namely, Rivers, Delta, Sokoto, Edo, Abuja, Akwa-Ibom, Osun, Kano, Bayelsa,
and Enugu, with each state producing three winners who took home cash grants
of N500,000, N300,000 and N200,000.
The
winners of this ninth edition included Corp Members focusing developing
entreneurship in renewable energy, fashion, beauty, agro-processing,
confectionaries, etc.
Some
of the winners at the Rivers State NYSC Orientation camp at Nonwa Gbam Tai
included Muoneke Gift, whose business plan on renewable energy took home the
grand prize of N500, 000; followed by Ilesanmi Olamide’s business proposal on
beauty services to claim the N300, 000-business grant for first runner up.
Ekanem Moses Idoreyin's confectionary business proposal took home the N200, 000
grant.
The
winners emerged after their business plans were assessed by a panel looking out
for business ideas that demonstrate originality, marketability, future
employability potential of the product, and knowledge of the business.
The
Unity Bank Corpreneurship Challenge has gradually joined the league of some of
the most impactful, youth-focused entrepreneurship development initiatives in
Nigeria, empowering no fewer than 100 young entrepreneurs over the past three
years.
Recently,
one of the beneficiaries in Sokoto, Beulah Yusuf, who emerged as second runner-up
in one of the editions successfully launched her recycling business
with the grant received from the Bank. She unveiled her
products widely acclaimed for addressing environmental pollution and
waste management inefficiencies, underscoring the Bank’s motivations to sustain
the initiative.
Speaking
during the finale at Rivers State NYSC Orientation Camp recently, the Group
Head, Retail, E-Business, and SME Banking, Unity Bank Plc, Mr. Olufunwa
Akinmade, said the Bank was delighted with the impressive records the
Corpreneurship Challenge has pulled so far.
“When
we launched the initiative in 2019, we set out to empower the next generation
of entrepreneurs that will disrupt the job market by creating much-needed jobs
across all sectors. Today, we have come a long way and the Corpreneurship
Challenge has lived up to its billing.”
Represented
by Regional Manager, Port Harcourt Region, Unity Bank Plc, Mr. Eto Ukpe,
Akinmade reiterated the Bank’s commitment to sustaining the initiative and
mainstreaming the Corpreneurship Challenge as a reliable and impactful
entrepreneurship and business empowerment and mentorship programme in the
country.
“What
we have today in the labour market is far from the ideal. However, it is not
enough to keep complaining. We must make lemonade out of lemon. We believe that
the Corpreneurship Challenge has proved to be one of the most creative
approaches to tackling the intractable crisis we have in the job market in
Nigeria."
“Our
goal is to expand this programme to all 36 states and sustain it for as long as
possible to achieve record impact. We continue to encourage the winners to
continue to learn the rudimentary lessons necessary to build a successful
business. We emphasize that the budding entrepreneurs who take part in this initiative
constantly think about the challenges they will face and put the same energy
they all have displayed in preparing for this contest in their businesses as
they face their post-service year ahead.”
The
Corpreneurship Challenge, which has earned the Bank national recognition for
its impact on youth empowerment and job creation, has continued to elicit
growing interest among the corps members, attracting over 2000 applicants and
participation in every edition.
In
partnership with the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development,
SAED, the initiative prominently features a business pitch presentation that
provides the participants with the opportunity to present their business plans
and stand a chance to win up to N500, 000 cash in the business grant.
So
far, Unity Bank has invested over N100 million in the initiative which has now
produced 118 winners since it was launched in 2019.
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