Young Agripreneurs Invited to Compete for Funding and Training in Nationwide Programme
Nigerians aged 18 to 35 can apply for an agribusiness programme offering seed support, mentoring, training and investor connections.
Young Nigerians building businesses in agriculture have until October 16 to apply for a nationwide entrepreneurship programme that combines a business competition with training, mentoring and access to potential finance partners.
The initiative is backed by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria and Jesnoch International Limited. Plus Incubation Hub Nigeria Limited is delivering the programme under an AGRA-supported project focused on strengthening business-development services and finance opportunities for agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises.
Applications opened on October 8, 2026. Nigerians between 18 and 35 may participate whether their agricultural venture is still at the concept stage or already operating and expanding. However, the business connected to an application must have a recognised registration. Accepted options include registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission, registration with SMEDAN as an MSME, or membership of a registered cooperative society.
The competition requires each entry to be attached to one individual. That person will complete the assessment process, present the business if selected and receive any eventual award. Cooperative membership can be used to meet the business-registration requirement, but the cooperative itself does not become the competition entrant.
Ten successful competitors are expected to receive seed funding alongside structured mentoring and introductions to financiers and potential buyers. Before the final selection, 30 businesses will be invited to Lagos to make presentations on October 29. The eventual prizes are scheduled to be presented during the National MSME Conference in Lagos, taking place from November 8 to 10.
Training opportunities form a separate part of the programme. Applicants who satisfy the initial eligibility requirements will be invited to a free virtual session on October 17 covering core agribusiness concepts, financial literacy, investment preparation and ways of accessing finance. Recordings will also be made available to eligible participants unable to join the live programme.
A further 120 participants will receive face-to-face training in Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna states on October 21 and 22. Each state will host 40 participants, with at least 12 positions reserved for women and eight for people from rural areas. Places will be assigned to qualified applicants from those states according to the order in which complete and verified applications are received.
Although applications are open across Nigeria, the programme gives additional allocation to the three states targeted by the wider project. Sixty per cent of finalist and training opportunities will go to applicants from Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna, while candidates elsewhere in the country will compete for the remaining slots under the same published assessment standards.
The organisers said participation in the state-based training will not improve a contestant's score in the business competition because the two selection processes will be handled separately.