NYSC and BATNF award N10m in agribusiness grants to six corps members

Six members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have been awarded a total of N10 million in grants through the Farmers for the Future Programme. The initiative is a collaboration between the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) and the NYSC.

NYSC Director-General Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu presented the cheques in Abuja, encouraging corps members to pursue agribusiness and commodity marketing to build sustainable businesses. The grant recipients include Dominic Olufemi, who received N3 million; Temitope Adewole and Abdulwaheed Bala, who received N2 million each; and Olanike Mayungbe, Kingsley Udoeyen, and Lorember Lorsue, who received N1 million each.

The selection process was highly competitive, with nearly 3,000 applicants undergoing a rigorous evaluation. Twenty finalists participated in a boot camp and pitching session before the final six were chosen. Beyond the grants, the program provided mentorship from established market operators and agribusiness skills training to all participants.