The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, has launched a new initiative expected to provide entrepreneurship support to more than 100,000 young Nigerians annually.
The Building Resilient Young Nigerian Entrepreneurs, BRYNE Project, was unveiled as part of the Agency’s activities marking International Youth Day 2026.
The programme brought together enterprise training, incubation, mentorship, access to finance, market opportunities and business development support.
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of SMEDAN, Mr Charles Odii, said the initiative was designed to provide practical support to young Nigerians at different stages of entrepreneurship.
“Across the country, we meet young people with ideas, skills and businesses that can grow, but many still struggle to find the right support at the right time.
“BRYNE brings several of those opportunities together, from training and incubation to finance, markets and mentorship.
“We want more young Nigerians to have a fair chance to build businesses that can survive, grow and create jobs,” Odii said.
The Head of SMEDAN’s Women and Youth Unit, Mrs Bimpe Fawale, said BRYNE would be delivered through four major channels targeting young entrepreneurs in communities, tertiary institutions and online.
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Under the SMEDAN Incubation Programme SIP, 600 young entrepreneurs will be supported annually in areas including fashion, woodwork and agriculture, leveraging the Agency’s network of industrial development centres across the country.
“The Campus Enterprise Engagement Platform will take enterprise support to tertiary institutions in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education.
“The platform will provide practical business workshops, advisory sessions, networking opportunities and exhibitions for student-owned businesses with up to 3,000 participants targeted per participating campus.
“The BRYNE Digital Connect, BDC, will use digital platforms to provide entrepreneurship education, promote innovation and business growth, showcase youth-led and grassroots enterprises, and connect entrepreneurs with wider markets,” she said.
According to her, weekly hackathon for young startups will also provide business education and enterprise opportunities to 5,000 young entrepreneurs.
Fifty-two winners selected through the initiative will receive ₦250,000 each in seed funding, with one winner emerging every week.
Fawale said the programme was structured to address the varying needs of entrepreneurs depending on their stage of business development.
“Some need help turning an idea into a business, others already have businesses but need finance, mentorship, better market access or the right information to take the next step.
“BRYNE is designed to meet young entrepreneurs at those different stages and connect them to practical support,” Fawale said.
Beneficiaries will also have access to opportunities for business formalisation, funding, mentorship, investor and market linkages, business information and export support through SMEDAN and its partners.
The Agency said BRYNE builds on its broader efforts to expand opportunities for young Nigerians to participate productively in the economy and equip promising entrepreneurs with the support needed to build sustainable businesses.
