Nigeria launches new entrepreneurship programs for youth

Several Nigerian agencies and private partners have launched initiatives to support young entrepreneurs through training, mentorship, and financial access.

The Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and the entrepreneurship platform Cascador, has introduced the NiYA × Cascador Founders Program. This pilot initiative targets 20 young entrepreneurs, including those without formal business registration. The program provides a four-week intensive course on business fundamentals and investment readiness. Following a pitch competition, the eight highest-performing participants will receive up to ₦5 million each in non-dilutive funding from Cascador, along with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions to assist with scaling operations.

Separately, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has announced the Building Resilient Young Nigerian Entrepreneurs (BRYNE) Project. This initiative aims to reach 100,000 young Nigerians annually through a combination of physical and digital interventions. The project includes the SMEDAN Incubation Programme (SIP), which intends to support 600 entrepreneurs per year in sectors such as agriculture, fashion, and woodwork, as well as a Campus Enterprise Engagement Platform developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education.