OAU's Team Galactic wins CIMA Global Business Challenge Nigeria final

CIMA, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, is delighted to announce Team Galactic from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife in Osun State as the national champion at the end of the national finals of the CIMA Global Business Challenge (GBC) in Lagos at the weekend.

Ijeoma Anadozie, Country Manager, CIMA Nigeria

Team Galactic was adjudged the best of four teams from three universities that participated in the competition where participating teams delivered presentations on a business case study in the oil and gas sector.

The GBC is an international competition designed to bring out the best in potential young business leaders by providing the opportunity for them to test team work as well as business analysis and presentation skills against the best and brightest from around the world. More than 14,000 students around the world are competing at local and regional levels for a spot at the global final in Warsaw, Poland in August 2015.

Seni Adetu, Immediate past MD/CEO, Guinness Nigeria

Megha Joshi, CEO, LCA & Laoye Jaiyeola, DG, NESG

For emerging tops in Nigeria, Team Galactic got an all-expenses paid trip to participate at the global final, cash prize of N300,000 (three hundred thousand Naira), management books for their university and full membership of the CIMA undergraduate club. All the competing teams went home with cash prizes.

Other teams that participated in the national final were Team N-Ergy from OAU, FUTOITES Business Team from Federal University of Owerri, and Dream Team from University of Ilorin. The teams were shortlisted by CIMA Assessors from a pool of 95 teams from 17 universities that submitted entries for the competition.

After an evaluation of video and PowerPoint presentations by the four teams and a question and answer session, Team Galactic was adjudged the first among equals by a panel of judges comprising of business leaders and board room gurus namely Sir Demola Aladekomo, Chairman, SmartCity Resorts Plc; Mr. Laoye Jaiyeola, Director General, Nigerian Economic Summit Group; and Mr. Seni Adetu, immediate past MD/CEO, Guinness Nigeria Plc. Other members of the panel of judges were Ms. Megha Joshi, CEO, Lagos Court of Arbitration and Ms. Anita Dele-Dickson, Head of Relationship Management, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited (SIPML).

Announcing the competition results on behalf of the panel of judges, Sir Demola Aladekomo, commended CIMA for creating the Global Business Challenge as a platform for future leaders to showcase their talents, and for extending the competition to Nigerian undergraduates. He lauded the solutions presented by the various teams, describing the four teams that made it to the national final as winners in their own right for being the best of the 95 teams that submitted entries for the competition.

Sir Demola Aladekomo, Chairman, SmartCity Resorts Plc

According to Sir Aladekomo, “The national final was very competitive with the different teams demonstrating good understanding of the case study as reflected in the solutions they proffered to the Oil and Gas business case study provided by CIMA. The panel of judges was impressed with the team work, in-depth analysis, appreciation of strategic issues and the business savvy showcased by the undergraduate students that make up the teams during their presentations.

“I would like to commend Team Galactic from the Obafemi Awolowo University on their outstanding performance and on becoming Nigeria’s first CIMA GBC national champions. Team Galactic really stood out for the judges because of their consistent outstanding performance across all points of evaluation.

Team Galactic from OAU with the board of judges 

“The first runner up, the FUTOITES Business Team and second runner up, N-Ergy Team also demonstrated good understanding of the case study but were no match for the exceptional Team Galactic which can hold its own against any of the other 25 teams from across the world that will be competing at the global final.”

Ms. Ijeoma Anadozie, Country Manager, CIMA Nigeria, who announced the prizes, said “The competition has been a phenomenal success and Team Galactic should be truly proud on making it through to the global final.”

The Board of Judges - CIMA GBC Nigeria Finals

According to Ms. Anadozie, “The national champion, Team Galactic gets a cash prize of NGN300,000 (Three hundred thousand Naira only), management books for their university, and an all expenses paid trip to Warsaw – Poland to compete for the title of global champion against 25 other teams from across the world. First runner up, FUTOITES Business Teams gets a cash prize of NGN200,000 (two hundred thousand Naira) and management books for their university. Team N-Ergy, the second runner-up, as well as the Dream Team get cash prizes of NGN100,000 (one hundred thousand Naira) respectively. All our finalists are indeed winners.

“I would like to thank our esteemed panel of judges, sponsors and partners, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited, Lagos Court of Arbitration, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc and Kiishi-Lagos Limited for their support; and of course the multitude undergraduate students from across the country who attended the national finals to cheer their favourite teams thereby ensuring we have a truly successful national final”.

This will be the first time that Nigerian undergraduates will participate in the prestigious annual global business competition. The Nigerian final was sponsored by SIPML, and supported by Guinness Nigeria Plc, Lagos Court of Arbitration, Nigerian Breweries Plc and Kiishi-Lagos Limited.