Thirty-five young entrepreneurs in Lagos have pitched their business initiatives to investors at the Amplifier Business Clinic, a platform designed to equip youths with leadership, financial, and entrepreneurial skills. The competition, which is ongoing, will see only ten participants advance to the final stage.
The programme, organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development in collaboration with Pelse Consulting, drew over 100 participants who benefited from a masterclass on leadership and business management before the pitching sessions.
Speaking at the event, the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, noted that over 70 percent of Lagos youths are already engaged in entrepreneurship. He stressed that this reality underscores the importance of government-backed initiatives to strengthen young people’s capacity to build sustainable businesses.
“Our goal is to amplify what they are already doing, expose them to investors, and give them the foundation to scale their businesses,” Ogunlende said. He added that entrepreneurship has become a critical path in Nigeria’s challenging economy, where not every graduate can secure a white-collar job.
The Commissioner explained that the Amplifier Business Clinic is transparent and merit-driven, ensuring applicants are selected based on potential rather than personal connections. Beyond funding opportunities, participants also gain training in leadership, financial literacy, pitching, and presentation skills. “Even if you don’t win a grant, the knowledge and exposure you gain positions you to perform better in business,” he said.
He linked youth empowerment directly to poverty reduction and crime prevention, arguing that productive engagement provides alternatives to social vices. “When young people know they must show up, deliver results, and get paid, they abandon illegal activities and gradually drop those habits,” he remarked.
The Managing Partner of Pelse Consulting, Adeniji Oluwafemi Boboye, explained that the programme is designed to help entrepreneurs build strong business structures that can grow beyond their founders. “We help them learn how to put the right structure into what they’re doing and then continue to live a decent life as a person first before they begin to scale. In the last four years, the Amplifier Business Clinic has been an awesome experience, seeing businesses grow with better understanding,” he said.
Boboye noted that with the right guidance, Nigerian youth-led businesses have the potential to evolve into multi-million or even multi-billion-dollar enterprises that outlive their founders.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Oluwatoyin Oke-Osanyintolu, said plans are underway to decentralise the programme across the five divisions of the state—Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Epe, and Lagos Island—to make it more accessible. “When you tell somebody in Badagry to come all the way to Ikeja for a two- or three-day programme, there might be the problem of transportation. So, we are thinking of decentralising the training and having it in all the five divisions. However, the grand finale will be held in Ikeja,” she explained.
Participants also shared their experiences from the clinic. The Founder of Ofada Hub, Amina Kazeem, described the training as eye-opening. “They taught us about finance, business planning, the art of pitching, understanding your market, and customer service. One key area I am looking forward to implementing is customer feedback. It is vital to sustainability and growth because it helps businesses adjust their offerings to meet customer needs,” she said.
She added that the clinic reinforced the principle that businesses must focus on solving problems to remain sustainable.
The Amplifier Business Clinic has become one of Lagos State’s key youth empowerment initiatives, designed to sharpen entrepreneurial skills, provide mentorship, and connect participants with funding and strategic networks.
