Tinubu flagship programme advances 65 student ventures toward equity-free funding

President Bola Tinubu’s flagship Student Venture Capital Grant programme has advanced 65 student ventures to the final stage, bringing them closer to equity-free funding of up to N50 million each.

The initiative, designed to accelerate high-impact student-led businesses, received 30,639 applications from students across 404 tertiary institutions nationwide, the Federal Ministry of Education said in a statement on Monday.

The shortlisted 65 innovators will compete for the grants at the SVCG Beneficiary Awards Day on March 29, when the final recipients will be unveiled, the ministry added. It did not disclose how many students will ultimately receive funding.

Tunji Alausa, Education minister described the progress as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s next generation of innovators and job creators.

“The quality and ambition demonstrated by these 65 student innovators is deeply encouraging. Reaching this stage represents a significant milestone, and I look forward to the next phase as these ventures are refined and prepared for scale,” Alausa said.

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Launched in December 2025 in partnership with the Bank of Industry, the programme provides equity-free capital to student ventures that have reached the commercialisation stage.

The goal is to help them scale innovative solutions, create jobs and support Nigeria’s innovation-driven economic growth.The 65 finalists were selected through a transparent, multi-stage evaluation process.

Applications first underwent AI-enabled screening, followed by human validation. An independent committee comprising representatives from government, industry, academia and the investment community then assessed the ventures based on scalability, feasibility, founder capability and potential impact.

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The shortlisted students will participate in an intensive four-day venture development bootcamp from March 26 to 29. Activities will include pitch sessions, workshops, live evaluations and investor-style feedback to strengthen their ventures.

Final grant decisions will be based on a combination of original application scores, bootcamp performance and the evaluation committee’s deliberations, the ministry said.