Eight young entrepreneurs from Jigawa State have been awarded a two-million-naira grant by the British Council, following an intensive entrepreneurship programme designed to equip youth with the skills and resources to build sustainable businesses.
The winners emerged after an eight-week training organised under the British Council’s Youth Connect Programme in partnership with King’s Trust International, the Jigawa State Government, and the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD). A total of 80 participants underwent training in areas such as business management, digital literacy, innovation, entrepreneurship, marketing, ICT, and soft skills.
At the end of the programme, participants pitched their busines ideas before a panel, with the best eight selected through a transparent and competitive process. The British Council subsequently awarded them seed grants worth two million naira in total to kick-start their ventures.
Speaking on the initiative, the Programme Manager for Non-formal Education at the British Council explained that the grants are aimed at helping young Nigerians build sustainable enterprises that will, in turn, create jobs and reduce reliance on government employment. He urged the winners to use the funds wisely and view the grants as an opportunity to scale ideas into impactful businesses.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of CITAD, represented at the event by Malam Isa Garba, said the project is intended to bridge the skills gap by equipping young people with market-driven competencies. He noted that the process of selecting the grant recipients was rigorous and transparent, ensuring that only the most viable and innovative business ideas received financial backing.
The Youth Connect Programme forms part of the British Council’s broader efforts to tackle youth unemployment in Nigeria by combining practical skills training with access to finance. Beyond funding, the initiative is expected to provide a pathway for young entrepreneurs to contribute to local economic development while addressing unemployment challenges in Jigawa and beyond.
