Covenant University has emerged as the overall winner of the 2024 Chartered Global Management Accountants Business Leaders Challenge.

The grand finale, which was held recently at the Bankers House in Lagos, featured five finalist teams from Nigerian universities.

Team Analyst from Covenant University triumphed over competitors, including Team Lot from Nile University, which secured second place, and Team Visionary Titan from Landmark University, which finished third.

Teams from TopFaith University and the University of Lagos also earned recognition with consolation prizes for their efforts.

As champions, Team Analyst received N1m, access to the CGMA Finance Leadership Programme worth £2,000 per participant and an internship opportunity with a leading corporate organisation. Team Lot and Team Visionary Titan were awarded N700,000 and N500,000, respectively, along with two-month internship opportunities.

The competition tasked participants with solving real-life business challenges and presenting their solutions to a distinguished panel of judges, including finance and accounting professionals: Dr Seyi Olanrewaju, Mr Stanley Ubani, Mrs Gbemi Adelowore, and Mrs Folake Ogundipe.

The Country Director at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Ijeoma Anadozie, declared the competition as a key initiative to nurture future business and finance leaders.

She commended the 57 universities that participated, noting the significant growth compared to last year’s 30 participants.

“The CGMA Business Leaders Challenge celebrates the resilience, brilliance and potential of future finance leaders. I encourage all participants to continue pushing boundaries and connecting with global opportunities in management accounting,” Anadozie said.