The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has unveiled a new entrepreneurship programme designed to provide business support to more than 100,000 young Nigerians every year.
Known as the Building Resilient Young Nigerian Entrepreneurs (BRYNE) programme, the initiative was introduced as part of SMEDAN’s activities commemorating International Youth Day 2026.
The programme is designed to support young Nigerians at different stages of their entrepreneurial journey, from individuals developing early-stage business ideas to owners of existing enterprises seeking funding, expansion opportunities and wider market access.
Through BRYNE, beneficiaries are expected to gain access to a combination of entrepreneurship training, business incubation, mentorship, financing opportunities, market linkages and business development services.
The initiative will be delivered through both physical programmes and digital platforms, allowing SMEDAN to reach young entrepreneurs across communities, tertiary institutions and online business networks.
SMEDAN Targets Sustainable Youth-Owned Businesses
SMEDAN Director-General Charles Odii said the initiative was created to address one of the major challenges facing young entrepreneurs in Nigeria: gaining access to appropriate support at the right stage of business development.
According to Odii, many young Nigerians already possess promising ideas, valuable skills and businesses with significant growth potential but often struggle to access the financing, mentorship, training and market opportunities required to move forward.
He said BRYNE would consolidate several forms of entrepreneurial support into a more accessible framework, enabling participants to connect with opportunities ranging from incubation and capacity building to financing and market access.
The broader objective, he explained, is to give more young Nigerians an opportunity to establish resilient businesses capable of expanding, generating income and creating employment.
600 Entrepreneurs to Join Annual Incubation Programme
As part of the BRYNE initiative, SMEDAN plans to admit 600 young entrepreneurs into its incubation programme annually.
The incubation component will focus on selected sectors with significant potential for youth employment and enterprise development, including agriculture, fashion and woodwork.
Participants are expected to receive practical business development support aimed at helping them strengthen their operations, improve productivity and build commercially sustainable enterprises.
SMEDAN to Extend Entrepreneurship Support to Universities and Other Institutions
The programme will also target young entrepreneurs in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
SMEDAN said it intends to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Education to expand enterprise development initiatives across participating campuses.
Under the arrangement, student entrepreneurs will have access to business workshops, professional guidance, networking opportunities and platforms where they can showcase their products and services.
According to the agency, individual participating campuses could record as many as 3,000 beneficiaries, significantly expanding access to entrepreneurship support among Nigerian students.
The campus-focused initiative is expected to encourage more young people to develop viable businesses while still pursuing their education and provide existing student entrepreneurs with resources needed to improve their operations.
BRYNE Digital Connect to Expand Access to Markets
Digital entrepreneurship will also play an important role in the programme.
Through BRYNE Digital Connect, young business owners will be able to access entrepreneurship education, business information and opportunities designed to help them connect with customers beyond their immediate locations.
The digital platform is expected to complement SMEDAN’s physical interventions while making entrepreneurship resources more accessible to young Nigerians regardless of location.
This could be particularly important for entrepreneurs operating in communities where access to conventional business development services, mentors and markets remains limited.
Weekly Startup Hackathon to Engage 5,000 Young Entrepreneurs
Another major component of BRYNE is a weekly startup hackathon expected to engage about 5,000 young entrepreneurs.
The initiative will provide participants with an opportunity to develop and present business ideas while competing for startup support.
SMEDAN expects 52 winners to emerge from the hackathon programme, with each successful participant receiving N250,000 in seed funding.
Beyond providing capital, the competition is expected to encourage innovation and give emerging entrepreneurs an opportunity to test and refine business concepts.
Programme Will Support Entrepreneurs at Different Stages
Bimpe Fawale, Deputy Director and Head of SMEDAN’s Women and Youth Unit, said BRYNE was deliberately structured to recognise that entrepreneurs do not all face the same challenges.
While some participants may require guidance to transform an idea into a viable business, established entrepreneurs may need financing, mentorship, stronger market connections or reliable business information to scale their operations.
BRYNE is therefore expected to provide different types of assistance based on the maturity and specific needs of each entrepreneur.
The approach is intended to ensure that beneficiaries receive practical interventions relevant to where they currently are in their business journey rather than a one-size-fits-all package.
Funding, Business Registration and Export Opportunities
Beyond training and incubation, SMEDAN said BRYNE will connect young entrepreneurs with opportunities relating to business formalisation, investment, funding, market access, business information and exports.
Business formalisation could help informal entrepreneurs transition into structured enterprises, while improved access to financing and investment could enable promising businesses to expand their operations.
Market and export opportunities could also provide participating businesses with pathways to reach customers beyond their immediate communities and potentially access international markets.
By combining these services under one initiative, SMEDAN aims to build a stronger support system for youth-led enterprises across Nigeria.
BRYNE Could Strengthen Youth Entrepreneurship and Job Creation in Nigeria
Youth unemployment and limited access to startup capital remain significant barriers for many aspiring Nigerian entrepreneurs. Programmes that combine financing with mentorship, business development and market access can provide entrepreneurs with more than capital alone.
Through BRYNE, SMEDAN is seeking to create a pipeline through which young Nigerians can move from developing business ideas to establishing sustainable enterprises.
With a target of more than 100,000 beneficiaries annually, the programme could become one of SMEDAN’s major youth entrepreneurship initiatives if implemented at scale.
The ultimate goal is to enable more young Nigerians to build sustainable businesses, strengthen existing enterprises and create employment opportunities within their communities.
For entrepreneurs selected for the programme, BRYNE could provide access to the combination of knowledge, networks, financing and market opportunities necessary to convert promising ideas into viable businesses.