From Atiku Sarki, Abuja
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has announced the Building Resilient Young Nigerian Entrepreneurs (BRYNE) Project, a new initiative aimed at expanding entrepreneurship support for young Nigerians across the country.
In a statement signed by the Agency’s Corporate Affairs Unit, SMEDAN said the initiative was announced as part of its activities to mark International Youth Day 2026.
According to the statement, BRYNE will bring together enterprise training, incubation, mentorship, access to finance, market opportunities and business development support.
The programme is expected to reach more than 100,000 young Nigerians annually through a combination of physical and digital interventions.
The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of SMEDAN, Mr Charles Odii, said the initiative reflects the Agency’s commitment to providing practical pathways for 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, Deputy Director Bimpe Fawale, said BRYNE would be delivered through four main channels designed to reach young entrepreneurs in their communities, on campuses and online.
The SMEDAN Incubation Programme (SIP) will support 600 young entrepreneurs annually in sectors including fashion, woodwork and agriculture, drawing on the Agency’s network of Industrial Development Centres across the country.
Through the Campus Enterprise Engagement Platform, SMEDAN plans to work with the Federal Ministry of Education to take enterprise support directly to tertiary institutions.
The programme will feature practical business workshops, advisory sessions, networking opportunities and exhibitions for student-owned businesses, with a target of up to 3,000 participants per participating campus.
The BRYNE Digital Connect (BDC) will use digital platforms to provide entrepreneurship education and promote conversations around innovation and business growth. It will also spotlight youth-led and grassroots businesses, connect entrepreneurs with wider markets, and build online communities around enterprise development.
A weekly hackathon for young startups will provide business education and enterprise opportunities to 5,000 young entrepreneurs, with 52 selected winners receiving N250,000 each in seed funding, with one winner selected every week.
Fawale said the different components were intended to ensure that young entrepreneurs could access support based on their particular needs and 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,” she said.
Beneficiaries will also be connected to opportunities for business formalisation, funding, mentorship, investor and market linkages, business information and export support through SMEDAN and its partners.
SMEDAN said the initiative builds on its broader efforts to expand opportunities for young Nigerians to participate productively in the economy and provide promising entrepreneurs with the support required to build sustainable businesses.