Ten members of the National Youth Service Corps 2021 Batch C Stream 1 Orientation Course in Abia State have won N3.75 million as business start-up fund.
Omaka Nnachi, the Public Relations Officer of the NYSC in Abia State revealed this in a statement on Monday in Umuahia.
Nnachi said the corps members won the funds in the “Accesspreneur – All4One” scheme.
He said the programme was sponsored by Access Bank Nigeria Plc as part of its corporate social responsibility.
According to the statement, the fund aims at empowering corps members with good bankable business proposals by providing them start-up capitals and mentorship to help scale up their businesses.
Nnachi said 30 selected corps members, who submitted their business proposals, were given the opportunity to pitch their written business proposals to a team of business experts, following a template, during the one-week programme.
He stated that 10 were selected to participate in the grand finale, in which five of them were given the opportunity to orally present and defend their business ideas before a three-man panel of judges.
He stated Annabel Oghomwen won the star prize of N1 million.
The first runner-up, Sara Sokoye, got N700,000, while the second runner-up, Felicia Ige, went home with N400,000.
Also, Emmanuel Okpadi and Gideon Adekunle won N250,000 and N150,000 respectively, while consolation prizes of N100,000 each was given to five other participants
Nnachi stated that during the programme, the bank feted the corps members and also featured a raffle draw that saw 10 other corps members winning N75,000 each.
Earlier, Denis Jingi, the State Coordinator of the NYSC in Abia State, in his opening remarks at the grand finale thanked the bank for partnering with the scheme in her efforts at making the corps members entrepreneurs and job creators.
Jingi recalled that Access Bank had in the past built skills acquisition centres for the NYSC in some states.
In his address, Charles Oguibe, the Regional Director, South East, Access Bank, said the initiative was organised to encourage and reward corps members who wished to be young entrepreneurs.
Oguibe said the bank, with her sustainability ethos, was committed to improving the lives of the people and supporting the growth and development of her host communities.