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Unity Bank Holds 7thEdition of Corpreneurship Challenge; DolesOut N10M Grant to Corp Members
Unity Bank Plc has handed out a total of N10 million in prize money as business grants to 30 NYSC members in the latest edition of its flagship Youth entrepreneurship and empowerment initiative, Corpreneurship Challenge held across ten states recently.
The competition, already in its 7th edition, produced the 30 winners during the final business pitch for the 2021 Batch C Stream I corps members, which took place simultaneously across 10 NYSC camps in Lagos, Bayelsa, Ogun, Benin, Enugu, Sokoto, AkwaIbom, Osun, Kano and Abuja.
Conceived as an Entrepreneurial Development Initiative in 2019, a part of the lender’s strategic drive to penetrate the youth market, the Bank doles out cash prizes of N200,000 as a business grant for each of the second runner up, N300,000 business grant for the first runner ups and a star prize of N500,000 for each of the Corpreneurship Challenge winners.
In this latest edition, some of the winners included Madukwe Juliana Uchenna, who claimed the star prize, while Michael Ngbede Barnabas and Akinpelu FadekemiItunu emerged as the first and second runner ups in the Bayelsa camp.
In Lagos, Olawale Moshood Mohammed, Ifeanyi David Agwu and Aderonke Victoria Ogunyade emerged winners to claim the cash prizes.
The competition has continued to elicit massive interest among the corps members and attracts no fewer than 1,000 applications on each edition. In this edition, 100 applicants were shortlisted, out of which, 30 emerged winners to claim the various cash prizes.
The contestants’ business plans which ranged from fish production, poultry farming, fashion, soap and cake making, printing, piggery to beverages were assessed on originality, marketability, future employability potential of the product and knowledge of the business.
One of the winners, a graduate of the University of Lagos, whose business plan on fingerlings farming won the star prize in Lagos NYSC camp commended Unity Bank for the opportunity, as he said the grant will be utilised to expand his business to bridge the growing deficit in fish supply in Nigeria.
He said: “I pitched about fingerling farming and that was because of the 2.5 million metric tonnes deficit in fish supply in Nigeria. That has encouraged me to try to bridge the gap and I really appreciate Unity Bank for this opportunity.
“I am very happy that they created this avenue to help entrepreneurs like myself, which will really go a long way to improve the economy of the country. This has been a family business and this grant will really help us to expand the business and work towards bridging the deficit.”
Speaking during the finale in Lagos, the Group Head, Retail, E-Business and SME Banking, Unity Bank Plc, Mr. OlufunwaAkinmade, said the competition is gradually maturing as Nigeria’s premium business contest for emerging entrepreneurs.
“We are satisfied with the level of progress we have made with the Corpreneurship Challenge. In every edition, we are excited to see that the level of interest keeps growing stronger and we are impressed with the quality of business ideas that the corps members keep churning out.
“As we have maintained, the grants are not a loan and we want the money to be directed towards profitable ventures. The winners must devote their time to learning the rudimentary lessons necessary to building a successful business.
“We emphasize that the budding entrepreneurs who take part in this initiative constantly think about the challenges they will face and put the same energy they all have displayed in preparing for this contest in their businesses as they face their post-service year ahead.”
Speaking further, Akinmade maintained that the Bank will sustain the programme in order to achieve a record impact on entrepreneurship support and job creation.
He said: “This is a programme that will stand the test of time, but all we are doing is to support NYSC corps members to start their own business no matter how small and then grow with it. Unity Bank is there and we are offering them a startup capital as well as business mentorship.”
The need for Nigeria to think outside the box in its need to drive towards global relevance with innovations and scientific developments will be on the front burner at the NITRA Innovative & Scientific Conference scheduled to hold on Thursday July 23, 2026 in Ikeja, Lagos.
NITRA
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will lead other delegates to discuss and take far-reaching decisions at the event, which has its theme as “Bridging Nigeria’s Digital Divide With Scientific Innovation”.
Other companies that have indicated interest in partnering with NITRA include mobile communications company, Tecno; Africa’s premier end-to-end AI solutions company, Hyperspace; and telecommunications data infrastructure company, Digital Realty.
Speaking on the proposed event, the Chairman, Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), Chike Onwuegbuchi noted that the event will seek to create a platform for government and private organisations to deliberate on policies around scientific innovations in Nigeria, challenges, place of indigenous and foreign collaboration, roles of each stakeholder, and grassroots development in that regard, among others.
According to him: “The Federal government, with series of programmes and partnerships, has established the urgent need to create an ecosystem that thrives on scientific innovation, breeding institutions and individuals with a target of placing the country at the fore-front of Next-Gen development.
It is a known fact that digital and scientific innovations are crucial, not only to the survivability of a nation, but also to the sustainability of its growth and development, with significant effect on economic strength, global image, defense and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety, communication and digital footprint, among others.
The federal government is actively driving scientific innovation to foster economic diversification and build a $1 trillion economy by 2030. Efforts are heavily focused on commercializing research, establishing massive research funds, and funding strategic infrastructure, particularly in technology, biotechnology, and healthcare. Core government initiatives and policies include the newly instituted National Research and Innovation Development Fund (NRIDF), which aims to mobilize about $500 million annually to support research and the commercialization of scientific outputs; and the Nigeria Genomic City, a multi-ministerial initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria into a leading hub for genomics, precision medicine, and biotechnology. It is designed to protect indigenous data, stimulate artificial intelligence in health, and develop a highly skilled scientific workforce.
According to the General Secretary of NITRA, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo, the forum will also be a vehicle to propagating the views of decision makers to the public, thereby furthering the cause of public awareness and information dissemination on the topic.
The focus, he said will be on how Nigeria can sustain digital innovative growth and scientific development in Nigeria
The board of global payments company, PayPal, says a 53 billion dollars takeover offer from financial technology firm, Stripe, and private equity company, Advent International, does not adequately reflect the company’s long-term value.
PayPal
According to reports, the proposed acquisition, valued at 60.50 dollars per share, remains under consideration, with the board yet to formally respond to the offer.
The directors are said to be evaluating not only the financial value of the proposal but also the structure of the financing, the timeline for completing the transaction and the likelihood of obtaining regulatory approvals.
They are also considering the possibility of competing bids emerging.
Although the offer represents a premium of about 28 per cent above PayPal’s recent share price, the board believes the company could deliver greater value to shareholders if its ongoing turnaround strategy succeeds.
Following reports of the bid, PayPal shares gained about two per cent to close at 56.73 dollars.
Sources familiar with the discussions said Stripe and Advent have secured approximately 50 billion dollars in debt financing from JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, while both firms would jointly contribute 17 billion dollars in equity.
Under the proposal, the two companies would jointly own PayPal instead of dividing its operations.
PayPal, Stripe, Advent International, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley have all declined to comment on the proposed transaction.
The discussions come as PayPal seeks to strengthen its business after years of increasing competition from rivals including Apple Pay, Google Pay and emerging financial technology firms.
The company, which was valued at about 360 billion dollars in 2021, now has a market capitalisation of approximately 36 billion dollars.
Since assuming office as Chief Executive Officer in March 2026, Enrique Lores has embarked on a restructuring programme aimed at improving operational efficiency and restoring growth.
The restructuring includes the creation of three business divisions comprising Checkout, Venmo and Consumer Financial Services, and Payments and Crypto.
The company is also targeting 1.5 billion dollars in cost savings through the deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.
PayPal’s latest financial results indicated signs of recovery, with first-quarter revenue rising seven per cent year-on-year to 8.35 billion dollars, while total payment volume increased by eight per cent to 464 billion dollars.
If approved, the transaction would combine two of the world’s largest digital payments companies.
The combined business would process an estimated 3.7 trillion dollars in annual payment volume, significantly strengthening its position in the global online payments market.
However, analysts expect the proposed acquisition to face intense regulatory scrutiny because of the companies’ combined market share in merchant payment services.
To address possible antitrust concerns, the bidders have reportedly considered options, including separating PayPal’s Braintree business or other assets if required by regulators.
Sources said Stripe and Advent remain interested in pursuing the acquisition despite the board’s reservations, although negotiations are expected to continue.
Market observers are also awaiting PayPal’s earnings report scheduled for July 28 for further indications of the company’s financial recovery and future growth prospects.
Concerns over network reliability and its impact on Nigeria’s growing creator economy took centre stage at MTN Nigeria’s Data on Trial event, where content creator and streamer, Jarvis, challenged telecommunications operators to improve connectivity for digital creators.
Speaking during the event, Jarvis asked whether there were locations in Nigeria where uninterrupted internet connectivity could support real-life (IRL) streaming without network disruptions.
“Are there places where there is no breakage when streaming IRL?” she asked.
Her question highlighted the challenges faced by content creators who depend on stable internet services for live streaming, content uploads and real-time engagement with audiences.
Responding, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Technical Officer, Mr Yahaya Ibrahim, said network performance depends on several factors, including location, network coverage, device capability and the number of users connected to a particular base station.
He noted that operators continue to invest in expanding network capacity to meet the growing demand for data services.
Earlier, MTN’s General Manager, Network Performance and Quality Assurance, Mr Michael Ndukwe, explained the evolution of mobile network technology in Nigeria, from first-generation (1G) services to the current fifth-generation (5G) technology.
According to him, each phase of technological advancement has significantly increased network capacity and enabled new digital services.
Ndukwe cited Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) data showing that Nigerians consumed about 13.2 million terabytes of data in 2025.
He added that data usage reached approximately 4.06 million terabytes in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting the country’s increasing reliance on digital platforms and online services.
According to him, the growth is being driven by wider adoption of 4G and 5G networks, increased smartphone penetration, the proliferation of smart devices and expanding use of social media platforms.
Participants at the event noted that as more Nigerians build businesses and careers around digital content, access to reliable and high-speed internet has become critical to sustaining the country’s digital economy and creator ecosystem.
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