Minister reaffirms commitment to supporting youth-led initiatives

The Minister of Youth Development, Mr Ayodele Olawande, has reaffirmed his commitment to nation-building through supporting more youth-led initiatives and collaborations.

The minister spoke with our correspondent on the sidelines of the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA) Startup Pitch 1.0 empowerment programme in Abuja.

He said such support would equip Nigerian youths to thrive in the modern world.

Olawande said that Nigerian youths had great potential that could be harnessed through projects like the NiYA Startup Pitch Competition, NiYA jobs and the Niya Academy capable of creating complete ecosystem for the youths to leverage on.

“Through NiYA Gigs, NiYA Jobs, NiYA Academy, and now NiYA StartUp, we are creating a complete ecosystem that supports youth — from learning and training to making money and scaling their businesses.

“NiYA itself is a platform designed to connect skills, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

“The NiYA StartUp Pitch 1.0 is more than a competition; it is a platform that reflects what happens when young Nigerians are given the opportunity to turn their creativity into impact.

“We are not stopping; this project will be replicated across different states of the federation and we will be bringing in more people and partnerships to make sure the Nigerian youths are gainfully empowered,” he said.

Mr Amu Ogbeide, Chief Executive Officer, Sapphital , the ministry’s technical and implementing partner, described the NiYA platform as a comprehensive ecosystem built to equip Nigerian youth with the knowledge, tools, and funding required to thrive in modern economy.

“Sapphittal is the technical and implementing partner to the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.

“Together with the minister, we have built an ecosystem called the NiYA.’’

He said the platform included several integrated components, NIYA home, Job portal and NiYA startup hub–all aimed at nurturing young innovators.

“What you witnessed today is one of our startup competitions, where we went out across the country to identify young Nigerians with brilliant ideas.

“We are providing them with mentorship, digital tools, and seed funding to help them thrive.’’

Ogbeide emphasised that the selection process was transparent, credible, and merit based, with judges drawn from across the country and no political or personal influence.

‘The judges reviewed only the ideas, not the names or locations; that is how we will continue to operate — with fairness and transparency,” he said.

Speaking after receiving the grant, Oluyomi Deborah, one of the beneficiaries, described the initiative as “a life-changing opportunity” that demonstrated the government’s commitment to the growth of youth-led businesses across Nigeria.

“This initiative by NiYA is very impactful; I was not expecting it at all.

“It is wonderful to see what the Nigerian Government is doing for youths across the nation.

“It is encouraging to see that they have decided to build up this beautiful initiative supporting startups across Nigeria, and I am so happy to be a beneficiary,” she said.