About 30 young entrepreneurs have been awarded a N16 million business grant by Unity Bank Plc during the latest edition of its flagship entrepreneurship development initiative – the Corpreneurship Challenge.

Unity Bank’s Divisional Head, Retail and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), Adenike Abimbola, said this in a communique on Thursday in Lagos.

Mrs Abimbola said the winners emerged after participating in a business pitch competition held recently for Batch A Stream 2 across 10 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camps.

They include Cross River, Niger, Abuja, Nasarawa, Taraba, Kaduna, Plateau, Jigawa, Anambra, and Lagos states.

Mrs Abimbola described the participants as budding entrepreneurs developing innovative solutions across various business value chains including fashion design, bag making and pastry making, event management, vegetable farming, and others.

She stated, “At the NYSC Orientation Camp in Ipaja, Lagos State, corps member Adeniyi Gbemininyi, who pitched a fashion design business, emerged as the overall winner, clinching the N800,000 grand prize. Kolawole Darasimi, a budding bag maker, won a N500,000 grant, while Johnson Elizabeth Ene received a N300,000 grant to support her cake and pastry business.’’

Mrs Abimbola said across the remaining nine states, 27 other winners also emerged after pitching business plans in diverse sectors.

According to her, they include fish production, poultry farming, fashion, soap and cake making, printing, piggery, beverage production, and more.

She stated that over the past six years, the Unity Bank Corpreneurship Challenge had become an integral part of the NYSC programme.

Mrs Abimbola said it aligned with the Federal Government’s commitment to upskilling fresh graduates amid the growing dearth of white-collar jobs.
She said, “The programme attracts thousands of applications from serving NYSC corps members, whose business plans are evaluated for originality, marketability, employability potential, and overall business acumen. At Unity Bank, we believe that empowering young people to shape Nigeria’s economic future must be supported to provide longer-term sustainability.
“Through the Corpreneurship Challenge, we are not just providing funding but nurturing a new generation of entrepreneurs equipped with the skills, resources, and confidence to create jobs and transform communities. The success stories we see year after year reaffirm our commitment to youth empowerment and SME development.’’

The Corpreneurship Challenge is in partnership with the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme.

It has earned Unity Bank national recognition for its contribution to youth empowerment and job creation.

So far, the bank has invested over N100 million in the initiative, producing over 160 winners since its launch in 2019.

(NAN)