Key Details

• ⏰Deadline: Not yet published — programme launched 14 August 2026; application routes for each track had not been announced at the time of listing
• 👤Who can apply: Young Nigerians at various stages: students at tertiary institutions (campus track), and young entrepreneurs nationwide in sectors including fashion, woodwork and agriculture (incubation track).
• 💰Amount: ₦250,000 seed funding to each of 52 weekly startup hackathon winners per year. The incubation, campus and digital tracks provide training, mentorship and market access rather than cash.
• 🏛️Funder: Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN)
• 🌍Scope: Nigeria

About This Opportunity

SMEDAN's youth entrepreneurship project, launched on International Youth Day 2026 by Director-General Charles Odii, targeting more than 100,000 young Nigerians a year across four tracks: an incubation programme for 600 entrepreneurs annually through the Industrial Development Centres; a Campus Enterprise Engagement Platform run with the Federal Ministry of Education reaching up to 3,000 students per campus; BRYNE Digital Connect for online entrepreneurship education and market linkage; and a weekly startup hackathon targeting 5,000 entrepreneurs, of whom 52 winners receive ₦250,000 seed funding each.