No fewer than 400 fresh graduates have benefited from Unity
Bank’s entrepreneurship development initiative, also known as
Corpreneurship Challenge over the past five years. This reflects the Bank’s
commitment to driving economic growth by supporting the next generation of
Nigerian entrepreneurs.
Launched in 20219 with pilots in 4 states – Lagos, Edo, Ogun, and Abuja and
scaled to 10 States in 2020, the Corpreneurship Challenge initiative is
promoted in partnership with the NYSC Skills Acquisition and
Entrepreneurship Development, SAED. The initiative features a business
pitch presentation where participants, who are mostly fresh graduates
participating in the one-year compulsory NYSC service, get the opportunity
to present their business plans and stand a chance to win business grants.
The Bank recently increased the prize money to 16 million Naira per stream,
allowing participants who emerge winners in the business pitch to win
N800,000, N500,000, and N300,000 Business grants for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
positions respectively as against the previous editions in which the sum of
N500,000; N300,000 and N200,000 were handed out to respective winners in
the Corpreneurship Challenge.
Reflecting on the impact of the initiative, The Divisional Head, Digital
Banking and Fintech Partnerships, at Unity Bank, Mr Olufunwa Akinmade, who
led the pioneer team that designed the initiative and launched the pilot,
said: “The Corpreneurship Challenge has proved to be a viable enterprise
development and empowerment initiative due its high-level of success in
supporting budding entrepreneurs in the target demographic, as well as the
size of the problem it is designed to solve for the Nigerian economy”.
Olufunwa expressed satisfaction with Corpreneurship Challenge’s rising
profile as one of the leading sector-agnostic business incubators in
Nigeria and said the Bank is committed to sustaining the programme to
attain even greater impact required to boost job creation, with young
entrepreneurs leading the charge.
Also speaking, the Divisional Head of Retail and SME Banking, Mrs. Adenike
Ambimbola said, “We have seen the positive impact of the Corpreneurship
Challenge over the past five years because of its innovative approach to
youth empowerment and job creation, including a holistic strategy of
supporting budding entrepreneurs with mentorship, and skills development,
besides the financial backing.”
Since its launch, the Corpreneurship Challenge train has crisscrossed the
length and breadth of Nigeria, making a stop in 10 States per stream to
turn the dreams of fresh graduates and aspiring entrepreneurs into reality,
thus supporting the growth of the SME sector in Nigeria.
The latest edition was held across 10 States, including Taraba, Kogi, FCT,
Lagos, Yobe, Ogun, Ebonyi, Enugu, Adamawa, and Imo State, with three
winners emerging in each State to make up 30 winners for the edition.