Nigeria advances youth development through budget advocacy and entrepreneurship funding

Plan International Nigeria has called for improved budgetary allocations to support youth development, specifically targeting digital skills, software education, and the digital economy. During a national dialogue in Abuja, Tunde Aremu, the organization’s Policy, Research and Influencing Manager, noted that while youth-related provisions exist, funds are often not housed within the ministries responsible for youth needs. He highlighted a disparity in education spending, stating that much of the budget is directed toward infrastructure rather than digital learning tools.

In a separate initiative to support economic participation, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Youth Development and the Nigerian Youth Academy have partnered with the growth platform Cascador to launch the NiYA × Cascador Founders Program. This pilot program aims to transition early-stage entrepreneurs into investment-ready businesses. The program will provide a cohort of 20 founders with intensive training in business fundamentals and pitch preparation. Eight top-performing participants will receive non-dilutive funding of up to ₦5 million each, along with enterprise resource planning solutions to assist in scaling their businesses.