- Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim announced that the relaunched Nigeria Youth Investment Fund received 80,000 applications within 72 hours, showing strong youth interest
- The NYIF aims to support youth entrepreneurship and create up to two million jobs in three years, enhancing Nigeria’s economic growth
Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, the Minister of Youth Development, announced that the relaunched and restructured N100 billion Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) has received an impressive 80,000 applications within the first 72 hours. This announcement occurred during a town hall meeting with North Central youth stakeholders in Abuja.
Dr Jamila highlighted the overwhelming response as a testament to Nigerian youth’s strong enthusiasm and interest in accessing the fund to support their entrepreneurial and innovative endeavours. She assured that the ministry is committed to a fair and transparent selection process to support the most deserving and impactful projects.
“The NYIF will create focused financing and funding mechanisms for youth-enabled businesses and innovations to keep our youth gainfully engaged in productive ventures. To maximize impact, the programme has been restructured to focus on existing high-potential businesses and create strategic clusters that will generate up to two million direct and indirect jobs in three years,” Dr. Jamila stated.
She emphasized that the current administration, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, places great importance on forming strategic partnerships and fostering collaborative efforts as essential components for successfully achieving the outlined goals.
“All stakeholders, including government at all levels, the private sector, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, and the media, are urged to join us in mobilizing the youth across all social strata to benefit from the NYIF. Together, we can foster an environment where young entrepreneurs are given the necessary support to thrive, drive economic growth, and build the desired future for our dear nation.”
Dr. Jamila explained that the NYIF is a strategic initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria aimed at harnessing the potential of Nigerian youth for economic growth and innovation, focusing on the development and empowerment of young entrepreneurs nationwide.