By Taiye Olayemi
No fewer than 578 young Nigerian entrepreneurs have so far benefited from Unity Bank Pllc ‘Corpreneurship Challenge’ nationwide.
The bank disclosed this in a statement on Friday by Mr Matthew Obiazikwor. its Head of Corporate Communications.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the challenge is Unity Bank’s flagship youth empowerment and entrepreneurial development initiative.
According to the bank, the initiative formed part of its commitment to promoting entrepreneurship among National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.
“This had provided seed funding, mentorship, and business development support to budding business owners across the country.”
It stated that in the latest round of the competition, 30 new winners emerged from the Batch B, Stream II orientation course, with a total of N16 million disbursed as business grants across 10 states of the federation.
The winners were selected after a rigorous pitching exercise held at the NYSC orientation camps in Lagos, Delta, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kwara, Benue, Abia, Kogi, Rivers, and Plateau.
Their business ideas cut across diverse sectors, including fashion design, pastry and beverage production, bag making, event management, and agriculture.
At the Lagos Orientation Camp in Ipaja, Fiyinfoluwa Ojo emerged overall winner with her soap-making enterprise, receiving a grant of N800,000.
Also, Ndukwe Chiamaka Joan won N500,000 as first runner-up for her small chops business proposal, while Barakat Olamide received N300,000 to expand her beverage-making venture.
Expressing her excitement after emerging as the overall winner in Lagos, Ojo described the experience as life-changing.
She said, “I’m truly grateful to Unity Bank for this opportunity. Winning the Corpreneurship Challenge has given me the push and confidence I need to scale up my soap-making business.
“Beyond the grant, the experience taught me how to structure my business better and believe in its potential.
“It’s amazing to see a bank that genuinely invests in young people’s dreams.”
Across the remaining nine states, 27 other winners also emerged after pitching diverse business ideas ranging from fish and poultry farming to printing, piggery, and cake production.
Over the past six years, the Unity Bank Corpreneurship Challenge had become an integral part of the NYSC programme, aligning with the Federal Government’s drive to up-skill young graduates and promote entrepreneurship amid scarcity of white-collar jobs.
Each edition attracted thousands of entries from corps members, whose business plans were evaluated for originality, marketability, job creation potential, and overall business acumen.
Speaking during the grand finale in Lagos, Unity Bank’s Divisional Head, Retail & SME, Mrs Adenike Abimbola, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to empowering Nigerian youth through enterprise.
She said, “At Unity Bank, we believe that the energy and creativity of young Nigerians are vital to the nation’s economic transformation.
“The Corpreneurship Challenge is our way of nurturing this potential, by giving corps members the financial boost, mentorship, and confidence to turn their ideas into thriving businesses.
“Seeing over 578 young entrepreneurs already impacted motivates us to keep expanding the initiative and deepening our support for the SME ecosystem.”
The Corpreneurship Challenge has earned Unity Bank national recognition for its role in youth empowerment and job creation, attracting over 2,000 applicants per edition.
In partnership with the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, the initiative continues to serve as a launchpad for youth-owned enterprises, offering grants of up to ₦800,000 to help corps members turn their business dreams into reality.
