A lecturer at Coal City University and Director for its Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, Mr. Okechukwu Chukwuemeka has led the Southeast region of the country to victory in the just-concluded National Entrepreneurship Challenge. The finals of the event, which held on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, was organized by a partnership of the National Universities Commission and Directors of Entrepreneurship Centres in Nigerian universities, and drew sponsorships from Oxfam Nigeria, GEN Nigeria and Pan Atlantic University via its Entrepreneurship Development Centre.

Mr. Chukwuemeka, who served as the regional chair for the competition, remarked that Coal City University Enugu has taken a quantum leap in its entrepreneurship education and training, tilting heavily towards ensuring its graduates are wealth and employment creators. The school emphasizes critical thinking geared towards proffering solutions to myriad socio-economic challenges facing our communities, region and nation. Their hands-on entrepreneurship curricula help students develop the entrepreneurship mindset. They are then mentored to start own businesses for which the school provides incubator services thereby providing employment for themselves and for others. This is in line with the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Afam Icha Ituma’s unquenchable passion for innovation, industry collaboration, practical application and internationalization of teaching, learning and research which immediately brings CCU graduates to global standards of best practices including in entrepreneurship education, training and practice.

This maiden edition of the National Entrepreneurship Challenge competition among Nigerian university students saw a total of 4,264 applications pouring in from Nigerian universities with the South East accounting for 418. After a keenly contested event, John God’swill and his Rawmac team won the competition at the South East regional level thus becoming the South East flagbearers. At the federal level the Rawmac team from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, emerged overall winners thus pocketing the 1st prize of N1million.

The CCU Entrepreneurship director expressed optimism that the next edition of the contest will be won by a student of Coal City University.

Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of Coal City University, Professor Afam Icha-Ituma has lauded Mr. Okechukwu Chukwuemeka and his team of universities Entrepreneurship Centre Directors from the South East for making the region proud. He promised to support the efforts of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development at Coal City University to impact both students and other beneficiaries of its short-term and need-specific programmes that address direct challenges in our immediate community and region. He revealed that plans are afoot to give the Centre a national outlook in its operations.