Nigeria puts N49m behind 17 youth-led firms, with recycling in the mix

The Federal Government has awarded N49 million in non-dilutive funding to 17 youth-led businesses, drawn from a pool of more than 19,000 applicants, under an enterprise development programme run by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.

Eight of the businesses will receive N5 million each. The remaining nine get N1 million apiece. The awards follow a four-week accelerator under the Nigerian Youth Academy, delivered in partnership with Cascador, and the money comes without any equity giveaway — a structure that lets the founders keep full ownership while they scale.

All 17 participants also receive enterprise resource planning software to run their operations.

For the circular economy beat, two names matter most: Craft Planet, founded by Kabir Olaosebikan, and Zannytecture Recycling Company Limited, founded by Zainab Abike Kadiri-Lawal, plus waste-management venture TrashGo, founded by Adam Umaru. Craft Planet landed one of the eight N5 million awards; Zannytecture and TrashGo each take N1 million.

Who got the N5m awards?

The eight businesses receiving N5 million each are:

• SewPro — Andrew Ogbeh
• Biuda — Patrick Ifeanyi Chukwu
• Sparklean Station Nigeria Limited — Ameedat Olaniyan
• Backel Food Services Limited — Favour Ngozi Nnadi
• Shellify — Khuzaifa Aminu
• Rèkool Access Technology — Ayisat Adama Adamu
• Agrosavvy Consult — Godslove Emmanuel Asuquo
• Craft Planet — Kabir Olaosebikan

The nine N1 million recipients are Eeshas Cake and Foods Limited (Aisha Bello Marafa), Zannytecture Recycling (Zainab Kadiri-Lawal), UpSmart Energies (Moses Nweke), ParaLearn (Evander Ofomah), Drych Digital Limited (Victoria Okor), Agro-Chill Solutions (Ibrahim Isah Liman), Sol-Uniq Green Resources (Solomon Adedini), Bidvans Limited (Bridget Idyu) and TrashGo (Adam Umaru).

The 17 founders come from 13 states and cover all six geopolitical zones, after the programme launched nationally in August. Their sectors span food processing, recycling, clean energy, digital education and agricultural technology, with several targeting post-harvest losses, malnutrition, waste management and vaccine cold-chain gaps.

What did the accelerator cover?

The four-week programme ran sessions on sales, customer service, data protection, product standards, regulatory compliance, investment readiness and pitching. Participants also trained on SMECore, the ERP software now deployed to their businesses.

Technical sessions drew representatives from the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, Nigeria Revenue Service, Nigeria Data Protection Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, National Information Technology Development Agency, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, NAFDAC, the Corporate Affairs Commission and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure.

Sapphital Limited implemented the programme as technical partner and deployed a Startup and Grant Management System to administer it.

What did the principals say?

Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande framed the programme as a bridge between ideas and viable enterprises. "Nigeria is blessed with talented and innovative young people. What they need are opportunities to turn their ideas into successful businesses," he said.

He tied the initiative to President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda and said the government wants young Nigerians to shift from seeking jobs to building businesses that create them.

Craft Planet's Olaosebikan, whose company works on sustainable plastic waste solutions, said the funding and support would drive expansion. "This programme will prove to be a defining step in our growth story, giving us the business foundations and confidence to pursue our ambitions. With the funding and ERP platform, we now have the means to put what we've learned into action," he said. He added that Craft Planet would focus on expanding operations and creating jobs as it grows.

Cascador CEO Trish Thomas called the selection of eight funded businesses an encouraging outcome for the pilot phase and said she hopes the beneficiaries grow their enterprises and generate employment.

What happens next?

The ministry says this cohort is one piece of a much larger commitment: the Nigerian Youth Academy aims to train and empower seven million young Nigerians within two years. Whether that target holds — and whether grantee recyclers like Craft Planet and Zannytecture convert N1–5 million into operating capacity — is the milestone to watch.