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• Backs agripreneurs with N35.5m grants
By Izunna Nkwachukwu
The BATN Foundation has called for sustained and increased investment in Nigeria’s young people, warning that the country’s ability to achieve economic growth, food security and long-term prosperity depends largely on how effectively it harnesses its youthful population.
The Foundation made the call on Wednesday to mark International Youth Day 2026, themed “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” stressing that despite the different social, economic and geographical realities facing young Nigerians, they share common aspirations for quality education, decent jobs, entrepreneurship opportunities and meaningful participation in nation-building.
General Manager of BATN Foundation, Oludare Odusanya, described Nigeria’s youth population as a major force for innovation, enterprise and economic transformation, but said this potential would only be realised through deliberate investment and an enabling environment.
“International Youth Day reminds us that young people, regardless of their background or circumstances, share a common desire to build productive lives, create opportunities and contribute meaningfully to society,” Odusanya said.
He noted that effective youth empowerment must go beyond formal education to include practical skills, mentorship, entrepreneurship development, access to finance and opportunities capable of transforming ideas into sustainable businesses.
According to him, young Nigerians should not be viewed merely as beneficiaries of development programmes but as innovators, entrepreneurs, problem-solvers and job creators capable of driving national transformation.
The Foundation said its youth-focused interventions have increasingly targeted agriculture, positioning young Nigerians to participate in addressing food insecurity while creating employment and stimulating rural economies.
A major component of the strategy is the Graduate Agripreneur Programme (GAP), which provides young graduates with technical training, mentorship and enterprise development support.
In 2026, the Foundation awarded ₦25.5 million in equity-free grants to 17 young agripreneurs from three Nigerian universities under the programme. The grants are designed to enable beneficiaries to establish or scale their agricultural businesses without repayment or equity obligations.
The Foundation is also implementing the seventh cohort of its Farmers for the Future (F4F) programme in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The initiative targets corps members with innovative agricultural business ideas and provides training, mentorship and enterprise support during their service year. Six outstanding participants in the current cohort will receive a combined ₦10 million in equity-free grants to launch or expand their agribusiness ventures.
The latest grants bring the Foundation’s 2026 youth agripreneur funding highlighted in the statement to ₦35.5 million, reinforcing its emphasis on early-stage capital as a critical tool for helping young entrepreneurs move from ideas to viable businesses.
Beyond its youth programmes, BATN Foundation said it has invested more than ₦5 billion in development initiatives since its establishment, reaching over 1.7 million Nigerians and empowering more than 300,000 smallholder farmers through various interventions.
Odusanya urged governments at all levels, development organisations, educational institutions and the private sector to scale up youth-focused investments, particularly in skills acquisition, affordable financing, innovation and sustainable livelihoods.
“Every investment made in youth today strengthens communities, stimulates economic activity and secures the future of our nation,” he said.
The Foundation said its continued focus on agriculture reflects the need to simultaneously tackle youth unemployment and Nigeria’s food-security challenges by creating a new generation of commercially oriented agricultural entrepreneurs.
It further pledged to deepen collaboration with stakeholders to equip young Nigerians with the skills, knowledge, networks and financial resources needed to thrive in an evolving economy.
As Nigeria confronts the challenge of converting its youthful population into an economic advantage, the Foundation said the aspirations of young people—though shaped by different circumstances—remain fundamentally centred on opportunity, dignity and the chance to build a better future.
The Foundation maintained that how Nigeria responds to those aspirations today will have a direct bearing on the country’s economic and social trajectory tomorrow.
