Unity Bank Plc has awarded business grants totalling ₦16 million to no fewer than 30 young Nigerian entrepreneurs under its flagship youth entrepreneurship programme, the Corpreneurship Challenge.
The latest round of the programme, which targets serving members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), saw budding entrepreneurs pitch innovative business ideas spanning fashion design, bag making, pastry and cake production, event management, beauty services, and small-scale agriculture, among others.
The winners emerged after a keenly contested business pitch competition held for Batch A Stream 2 corps members across 10 NYSC Orientation Camps in Cross River, Niger, Abuja, Nasarawa, Taraba, Kaduna, Plateau, Jigawa, Anambra and Lagos States.
At the NYSC camp in Ipaja, Lagos State, Adeniyi Stephen Gbemininyi, who presented a fashion design business plan, clinched the overall grand prize of ₦800,000. Kolawole Opeoluwa Darasimi, a bag maker, was awarded ₦500,000, while Johnson Elizabeth Ene received ₦300,000 to expand her cake and pastry business.
Across the remaining nine participating states, 27 other corps members also won grants after pitching viable business concepts in sectors including fish and poultry production, soap making, printing, beverage production, and piggery.
Speaking at the Lagos grand finale, Unity Bank’s Divisional Head, Retail & SME Banking, Mrs. Adenike Abimbola, reiterated the Bank’s continued commitment to youth-focused enterprise development.
“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,” she said.
She added that the consistent high quality of business ideas submitted under the initiative reflects the huge untapped entrepreneurial potential among Nigerian youth.
“The overwhelming interest and the quality of submissions we receive every edition demonstrate the resilience, creativity, and readiness of our young people to drive growth and tackle unemployment. We are proud to partner with the NYSC SAED to make these dreams possible,” she added.
Launched in 2019, the Corpreneurship Challenge has become an integral part of the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme.
The initiative is designed to provide corps members with seed funding to scale up sustainable businesses, bridging the widening gap between graduate unemployment and limited white-collar job opportunities.
Over the last six years, Unity Bank has invested over ₦100 million in the scheme, producing more than 160 winners nationwide.
The pitch competition attracts over 2,000 applicants per edition, with winners evaluated on business originality, viability, market potential and employment impact.
The bank stated that its strategic focus on the youth segment and SMEs is in line with national efforts to drive job creation and economic diversification through entrepreneurship.
Unity Bank’s Corpreneurship Challenge has earned broad commendation for providing young entrepreneurs with a realistic launchpad to transform viable ideas into thriving businesses, further positioning the bank as a strong advocate for inclusive economic development.
