L-R: 2nd Prize Winner – Ilesanmi Olamide Phebe, Unity Bank
Plc Regional Manager, Port Harcourt/Uyo Region – Mr. Etop Uma Ukpe, 1st
Prize Winner – Muoneke Gift NYSC State Co-ordinator – Mr. George
Mfongtari, & 3rd Prize Winner – Ekanem Moses Idorenyin during Unity Bank
Corpreneurship Challenge Business Pitch Presentation held at the NYSC
Orientation Camp, Rivers State recently
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.
Winner – Muoneke Gift & 3rd Prize Winner – Ekanem Moses Idorenyin –
Winners of the recently held Corpreneurship Challenge Initiative at the
NYSC Camp Rivers State
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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