A leading Nigerian agro-commodities sourcing and trading company, Sunbeth Global Concepts Limited, has announced plans to institute a multi-million naira annual reward scheme for outstanding students of the University of Ilorin as part of efforts to promote academic excellence and strengthen industry-academia collaboration.

The initiative, which is being perfected, will see the sum of N10,000,000 awarded to the overall best graduating student of the University each year, while an additional N6,000,000 will be shared among three top-performing students selected by the company from three different Departments.

This was made known during a courtesy visit by representatives of the company to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, last Wednesday (April 1, 2026), where both parties concluded discussions on the modalities of the proposed partnership.

Speaking at the meeting, the Vice Chancellor commended the company for identifying the University as one of the beneficiary institutions under the scheme, saying that the gesture aligns with broader efforts to reposition the nation's education sector through meaningful private sector participation.

Prof. Egbewole said that the decision by the company to invest in education is a commendable and forward-looking initiative.

While sharing optimism that the relationship between the University and the company would continue to grow stronger, the Vice Chancellor called on other corporate organisations to emulate the initiative, noting that increased investment in universities is critical to national development.

Speaking earlier, the Programme Lead of the Sunbeth Excellence Partnership Programme (SEPP), Mr Habeeb Yekeen, described the initiative as a strategic intervention aimed at promoting merit, innovation and value-driven achievements within the University.

He explained that the Academic Distinction Award would be conferred on the overall best graduating student of the University, irrespective of Department or discipline, thereby establishing a unified benchmark for excellence across all academic programmes.

On the SEPP Scholar Award category, Mr Yekeen noted that participating Departments would be carefully selected, after which eligible students would be invited to apply. From the selected Departments, three outstanding students would emerge as SEPP Student Scholars, bringing the total number of beneficiaries across departments to nine.

He stated that from the pool of nine scholars, the top three performers will receive a cash award of N2,000,000 each, based on outstanding academic performance and overall assessment within the programme.

He added that beyond financial rewards, the initiative is structured to provide long-term developmental value as beneficiaries under the SEPP Scholar category will be enrolled in a comprehensive support system that includes mentorship by professionals within Sunbeth Global Concepts Limited, internship placements, and exposure to industry-relevant practices.