Eight Young Jigawa Entrepreneurs Receive N2 Million Grant to Grow Their Businesses

Eight young entrepreneurs in Jigawa State have each received a grant of N250,000 to expand their businesses after successfully completing an intensive eight-week employability and entrepreneurship training.

The programme, tagged Youth Sustainable Enterprise Challenge Grants, was organised by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) with support from the British Council and King’s Trust International. The training, which held at the Manpower Development Institute in Dutse, focused on equipping participants with practical skills in digital technology, ICT, marketing, and business development.

Empowering Youths Through Entrepreneurship

The initiative was designed to tackle rising youth unemployment and underemployment in northern Nigeria by providing training, mentorship, and seed funding. CITAD, a Kano-based non-governmental organisation, has been at the forefront of digital literacy and entrepreneurship programmes across the region.

According to the Executive Director of CITAD, Malam Yunusa Zakariya’u, represented by the Project Coordinator, Mr. Isa Garba, 80 young people between the ages of 18 and 30 were selected from across Jigawa for the training. Out of the 29 participants who pitched their business ideas at the end of the programme, eight emerged winners and received the N2 million grant in total.

“This project demonstrates how skills training can be translated into business opportunities, especially in areas like digital skills and ICT,” Zakariya’u said. He added that mentorship, peer learning, and investor linkages were key components of the project to promote youth-led innovation and self-reliance.

Stakeholders Applaud the Initiative

The British Council’s Programme Manager for Non-formal Education – Youth Enterprise and Sustainable Peace, Dr. Yahya Janga, commended the Jigawa State Government and the Federal University Dutse for their support. “Jigawa has provided endless support for the success of this entrepreneurship project. We also appreciate the Federal University Dutse for helping to identify qualified youths for the training,” Janga stated.

The Jigawa State Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports, Mr. Sagir Musa, represented by the Deputy Director of Youths, Mr. Abbas Zakari, praised the organisers for empowering young people. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to youth development and called on the winners to put the grant to good use while sharing their knowledge with peers who could not attend the training.

Beneficiaries Share Their Plans

Among the winners was Mohammed Bello, a youth living with disability, who expressed gratitude for the opportunity and pledged to invest the grant wisely. He encouraged other young people with disabilities to learn skills rather than rely solely on government jobs.

Another recipient, Fiddausi Hamza, who specialises in epoxy resin art, said the grant would help her transform her training into a thriving business.

The beneficiaries collectively hailed the British Council, King’s Trust International, and CITAD for their support, describing the initiative as a life-changing step toward financial independence.

This project blends international best practices with local insights to foster sustainable entrepreneurship, creating a model that can be replicated across Nigeria to empower more young people and drive economic growth.