Unity Bank has said it will commence the eight edition of its flagship Entrepreneurial Development Initiative, Corpreneurship Challenge across 10 locations in Nigeria, with new entrance in Delta and Rivers States, and benefits of N10m business grant.

A statement said it kick-started the Corpreneurship Challenge scheme in 2019, with a launch in Lagos and in three other states, which included Edo, Ogun, and Abuja.

With the increasing traction of the initiative among corps entrepreneurs, the bank said it has now expanded the programme to 10 states across the federation.

It stated that, “The first expanded edition covered Lagos, Ogun, Abuja, Edo, Katsina, Enugu, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Sokoto, Kano and Kaduna. This edition will hold for the first time in Rivers and Delta as well as making a return to Sokoto, Edo, Abuja, Akwa-Ibom, Osun, Kano, Bayelsa and Enugu.

“The Corpreneurship Challenge, which has earned the bank a national recognition for its impact on youth empowerment and job creation, has continued to elicit growing interest among the corps members, attracting over 2,000 applicants and participation in every edition.”

In partnership with the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, the statement said the initiative prominently features a business pitch presentation that provides the participants with the opportunity to present their business plans and stand a chance to win up to N500,000 cash in the business grant.

Previous editions, it added, participants pitched business plans from several sectors including software solutions, fashion, fish production, poultry farming, bee farming, retail chains, and piggery to beverages which were assessed based on originality, marketability, and future employability potential of the product and knowledge of the business.

Unity Bank said so far, it has invested over N100m in the initiative which has now produced 58 winners since it was launched.