Unity Bank Corpreneurship Challenge Beneficiaries Hit 578

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No fewer than 578 young entrepreneurs across Nigeria have benefit­ted from Unity Bank’s Corpreneurship Challenge — the Bank’s flagship entrepre­neurial development initiative launched a few years ago.

Over this period, the Bank has invested in supporting bud­ding entrepreneurs across mul­tiple sectors to start businesses, create jobs, and contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth.

The ongoing initiative re­cently produced 30 new winners, who received a total grant of N16 million during the Batch B, Stream II edition of the Nation­al Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation course, held across 10 states of the federation.

The winners, innovative young entrepreneurs develop­ing solutions across various value chains such as fashion design, bag making, pastry and beverage production, event management, and veg­etable farming, emerged after pitching their business ideas during the challenge at NYSC Orientation Camps in Lagos, Delta, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kwara, Benue, Abia, Kogi, Rivers, and Plateau States.

At the NYSC Orientation Camp in Ipaja, Lagos State, Fiyinfoluwa Titilayo Ojo, who pitched a soap-making en­terprise, emerged the overall winner to clinch the N800,000 grand prize. Ndukwe Chiama­ka Joan, with her innovative Small Chops business proposal, claimed N500,000 as first run­ner-up, while Barakat Modinat Olamide secured N300,000 to support her beverage-making venture.

Expressing her excitement after emerging as the overall winner in Lagos, Fiyinfoluwa Titilayo Ojo described the ex­perience as life-changing, stat­ing, “I’m truly grateful to Uni­ty Bank for this opportunity. Winning the Corpreneurship Challenge has given me the push and confidence I needed to scale 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 has become an integral part of the NYSC programme, aligning with the Federal Government’s drive to upskill young graduates and promote entrepreneurship amid the scarcity of white-col­lar jobs. Each edition attracts thousands of entries from corps members whose business plans are evaluated for originality, marketability, job creation po­tential, and overall business acumen.