UNITY Bank has boosted job creation and entrepreneurship with its yearly Corpreneurship competition where 30 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)  won prizes and grants worth N10 million.

Three winners each emerged from  10 states and Abuja where Union Bank has branches at the event which held last week.

The states included Lagos, Ogun, Benin, Akwa Ibom, Kano, Sokoto, Enugu, Osun and Kwara.

The prizes included a N200, 000 business grant for third place winners; N300, 000 business grant for the second place and a star prize of N500, 000 for the winners.

Some of the winners included Yahaya Muhammad, Alade Ayinde and Omolola Kehinde in Kano NYSC Camp, while Chiamaka Nweke, Nduke Oduobuk and Victoria Adesope emerged as the winners in the Enugu State camp.

In Lagos, Aliu Haira Abimbola, Uzoechi Ihuoma Augustus and Adesanolu Lukmon Abiodun were the winners.

A winner in Abuja, Ebingha Ogbe John appreciated Unity Bank for the opportunity, which she said, had helped her to showcase her business.

“I thank Unity Bank for making my project, Mama’s Ally Crashfish, to come alive in this Abuja,’’ she said.

Over 2000 applications were received but only 100 were shortlisted for the pitch from where the winners emerged.

The contestants’ business plans, which ranged from software solutions, fashion, fish production, poultry farming, bee farming, retail chains, piggery to beverages were assessed on originality, marketability, future employability potential of the product and knowledge of the business.

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Unity Bank started the Entrepreneurial Development Initiative in 2019 to target corps members, as part of efforts to contribute to job creation. It continues to gain traction, growing bigger and better in grooming corps members having successfully ran several editions of the scheme in partnership with the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED).

The bank has invested overN80 million in the initiative, which has now produced 58 winners since it was launched.

Speaking during the finale in FCT NYSC camp, the Divisional Head, Retail, SME Banking and E-Business Directorate, Unity Bank Plc, Mr. Olufunwa Akinmade: “The  challenge is an initiative of Unity Bank, in conjunction with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to drive job creation through entrepreneurship.

“With rising youth unemployment in the country, it is just common sense to consider the entrepreneurship alternative.

“As the corps members join the labour market after their youth service, not every one of them will get the opportunity for a paid employment. But with what Unity Bank is doing, many of them will get the support they need to start a small business and even become employers of labour.

“We encourage the corps members to take seriously the opportunity that the Unity Bank Corpreneurship has provided. And to those that have emerged the winners today, we ask them to utilise their grants judiciously.

Unity Bank remains committed to empowering the youth through initiatives such as this, as we know that the bedrock of the economy is entrepreneurship.”

The Zonal Head, North West, Unity Bank Plc, Mr. Mustapha Idris Baba, implored the winners to utilise the funds to support their business venture