Three start-ups have won the Union Bank Business Pitch competition held at recently during the Women and Youth Entrepreneurship Development Centre (WYEDC) Cohort 2 Programme of the Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC).
The first place was clinched by Evelyn Ekene Ani of Evani.Ng, the first runner-up was Martha Padonu of Beyond Photography and the second runner-up was Therietta Vershima of La Teriz.
They emerged winners of the competition organised under the alpher initiative of Union Bank of Nigeria. They were rewarded with funding for their businesses.
Speaking at the event, the chief executive of Union Bank, Mrs Yetunde Oni, represented by the company’s Head of Retail and SME Business, Mrs Vivian Imoh-Ita, appreciated NBCC for the life-transforming training they are providing to the youth and women entrepreneurs.
“As a bank, we understand that when we invest in women and youth entrepreneurs, we are investing in the most powerful catalysts of economic transformation.
“Through the bank’s alpher initiative, we have enabled success for women-led businesses. In a volatile economy like Nigeria, the challenges facing entrepreneurs are dynamic and significant. As a Bank, we intend to prove that these barriers are not unconquerable and are growth opportunities,” she stated.
Business Post reports that 125 entrepreneurs graduated from the training, benefitting from firsthand entrepreneurship training and business grants.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria account for more than 50 per cent of industrial employment and contribute approximately 48 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), making entrepreneurship one of the economy’s building blocks.
The Director General of NBCC, Ms Ebere Njoku, reiterated the organisation’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, and youth empowerment, citing these as catalysts for economic development and sustainability, appreciating the sponsors, partners and facilitators who devoted their resources and time to upskilling the participants.
The entrepreneurship initiative stemmed from the visionary goal of the president and chairman of the council of NBCC, Mr Ray Atelly, to provide entrepreneurship and grant opportunities to Nigerian women and youths.
“This is your chance, make sure you take it. Don’t let any obstacle stop you because there will be many; if you let it stop you, your dreams are not strong enough. You need to keep pushing, someday you will sit at the top of a conglomerate and people will aspire to be like you,” he stated.
“I encourage all of you not to take the training you have received for granted. Use it as a landmark opportunity to be a beacon of hope to others who look up to you,” the patron of NBCC, Mr Akin Odunsi, said.