PRESS RELEASE

CAPTION: From left: Mr. Funwa Akinmade, Group Head, Retail, SME

and E-Banking, Mr. Olufunwa Akinmade receiving the Icon of Youth

Empowerment award from the Director General of NYSC, Brigadier

General S. Ibrahim, during the 2021 SAED Festival held in Abuja

recently.

LAGOS.21.12.21. In recognition of Unity Bank Plc’s contribution to the

growth of entrepreneurship among Nigerian youths, the National Youth

Service Corps, NYSC has named the lender “Icon of Youth

Empowerment” in an award presented to the Bank during the Skills

Acquisition & Entrepreneurship Department, SAED Festival held in Abuja

recently.

The NYSC management said it was on record that Unity Bank under the

able leadership of the MD/CEO, Mrs. Tomi Somefun had been

unwavering in its commitment and support for the Skills Acquisition and

Entrepreneurship Development programme of the NYSC as evident in the

Corpreneurship initiative through which businesses of hundreds of corps

entrepreneurs are being funded.

“In view of the foregoing, NYSC Management honours (Unity Bank) with

the award of “Icon of Youth Empowerment” at the closing ceremony

of the 2021 NYSC SAED Festival at NAF conference centre, Abuja on this

17th Day of December 2021,” said the Director-General of the NYSC,

Brigadier General S. Ibrahim, while presenting the award to Unity Bank.

Speaking after receiving the award, the Group Head, Retail, SME and E-

Banking, Mr. Olufunwa Akinmade said: “We are encouraged by this

award to continue to partner with SAED in driving the Corpreneurship

initiative. We believe that the Corpreneurship Challenge possesses the

capacity to unlock the entrepreneurship ingenuity of the youths in

Nigeria.

“We commend the leadership of the NYSC for the award, even as we

appreciate the leadership and the team at SAED for working hard to

make this partnership produce the desired outcome. We are optimistic

that the partnership will be sustained for as long as possible until it has

impacted a critical mass that considerably reduces graduate

unemployment in our nation.”

The Corpreneurship Challenge, which earned the lender the award is a

business plan competition that provides corps members with the

opportunity to pitch their business ideas and stand a chance of winning
business grants ranging from N200,000 to N500,0000 as business capital

while receiving mentorship. =

Unity Bank premiered the Corpreneurship Challenge in 2019, with a

launch in Lagos and in three other states which included Edo, Ogun, and

Abuja, but with the increasing popularity of the initiative among corps

entrepreneurs, the Bank has now extended the programme to 10 states

of the federation including Lagos, Ogun, Abuja, Edo, Katsina, Enugu,

Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Sokoto and Kaduna.

So far, Unity Bank has invested over N80 million in the initiative, which

has now produced 58 winners since it was launched

PRESS RELEASE

Unity Bank Gets NYSC Recognition, Wins Icon of Youth Empowerment Award

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