At the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp in Yikpata, Kwara State, young entrepreneurs recently received cash grants to bolster their businesses. This grant marked the final phase of the Wema Bank Accelerator Programme, designed to assist these entrepreneurs in overcoming business expansion challenges.
Representing Wema Bank’s management, Mr. Adelakun Desmond, the Regional Cluster Retail Manager, praised the Corps members’ initiative in submitting their business proposals for the competition.
The program was integrated into the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) initiative for the 2023 Batch ‘C’, stream 2 Corps members currently undergoing orientation in Kwara State.
Initially, numerous business proposals were received, and after thorough screenings, ten finalists were selected. These finalists had the opportunity to present their proposals to a panel of bank representatives and their fellow Corps members.
Ultimately, four Corps members emerged as winners. Areo Amos Erioluwa, a graduate of Animal Production from Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso, won the star prize of ₦800,000. Bright Daniel Uto and Ahmed Awelenje secured the first and second runners-up positions, receiving ₦700,000 and ₦600,000, respectively. Abdulazees Qazeem Idiaka received a consolation prize of ₦200,000 as the fourth-place winner.
During the prize presentation, Mr. Onifade Olaoluwa Joshua, the NYSC Kwara State Coordinator, commended the participating Corps members, congratulated the winners, and encouraged them to utilize the opportunities provided by the NYSC program to carve a niche for themselves in the future.
Expressing his gratitude, the star prize winner, Aero Amos Erioluwa, thanked Wema Bank Plc for sponsoring the program and pledged to utilize the cash grant effectively to expand his business.
