Connect with us

Business

1,500 Youth Get N2.5bn CBN Entrepreneurship Loan

Published

10 years ago

on

The Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN) on Thursday in Abuja flagged off the pilot phase of the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme (YEDP) aimed at empowering 1,500 youths with a total of N2.5 billion loan.
The CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele in his remarks said that the inability of Nigerian youths to access funding for businesses had been the bane of entrepreneurship.
Emefiele said that entrepreneurship among Nigerian youths had been hindered by low capacity and funding which has made many of them opt for white collar jobs which are not even available.
“ These challenges have continually made many youths to jettison their laudable ideas in pursuit of white collar jobs.
“Their inability to access funding has been the bane of developing the ideas of many educated and enterprising youths in Nigeria.’’
He said that the programme would address the problem of high and rising youth unemployment and restiveness.
While stressing that it was a loan that would be paid back and not a grant, he said that the single digit interest rate of the loan was to allow the youths to grow their businesses without much ado.
He admonished the beneficiaries to be of good character by repaying the loan when due as the success of the scheme depends solely on this first phase.
“We do not anticipate that they would not pay, we have as collateral their NYSC and Degree certificates and we know that our youths know the importance of their certificates.
“I do not think that somebody who has gone to the higher institution for those number of years to gain gainful employment for a gainful life will abandon those certificates because he wants to collect loan and not pay back.
“As far as I’m concerned I have not looked at the equation of them not re-paying so I want to enjoin everybody who accessed this loan to please pay.’’
The YEDP is aimed at harnessing the latent entrepreneurial spirit among the teeming youths by providing timely and affordable loans to implement their business ideas.
It is also serving as a training sponsored by the CBN for National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) members in collaboration with Heritage Bank.
It targets youths between the age of 18 and 35 to create one million direct jobs in the productive sectors of the economy within four years.
Some of the qualified business sectors are agro-allied, food processing and preservation, arts and crafts, construction support and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The Director General, NYSC , Brig.-Gen. Sule Kazaure said that the programme was a milestone for the NYSC because it was in line with the its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme.
He said under the SAED scheme, over 600,000 corps members had been trained in various entrepreneurship programmes but lacked funding to establish their own businesses.
He urged the corps members to take the programme seriously saying their future and the nation’s may depend on it.
“I urge all corps members, irrespective of their course disciplines, to key into the opportunities provided by these collaborations and become budding entrepreneurs through skill acquisition, self employment, wealth creation and employment generation.’’
The Managing Director, Heritage Bank, Mr Ifie Sekibo, told the youths that their success was important as it might mean that a path to creating a society that is worth our while was being charted.
He urged them to exhibit a flawless character and be tenacious in the pursuit of their goals.
“The spirit of entrepreneurship is not just in word but in the character you exhibit and the tenacity you bring to bear, the ability to follow your dreams despite the challenges.
“ If you don’t bring your character to the table this experiment will not succeed. A tenacious spirit, a never say die spirit, a can do spirit.’’
Mr Success Obi, one of the applicants who spoke on behalf of others, thanked the three organisations for providing such employment opportunity for the teeming Nigerian youths.
He assured that if granted the loan they would do their best to create employment opportunity for themselves  and fellow youth and pay back the loan when st

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Agency Gives Insight Into Its Inspection, Monitoring Operations

Published

7 days ago

on

January 12, 2026

By

The Director, South South Zone National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Pharmacist Chujwuma P.Oligbu has said its  thorough implementation of its core mandate of monitoring has no link with witch-hunting or fault finding as perceived at some quarters.
 Oligbu, made this known when he spoke as as guest at the maiden Rivers state Supermarkets stakeholders’ Seminar/Workshop in Port Harcourt recently.
Rather, he said they were mere opportunities for education, correction and continuous improvement.
The Agency’s South South Boss, noted that  Supermarket operators who maintain transparent records, cooperate during inspections, and promptly address identified gaps demonstrate professionalism and commitment to public health standard.
He listed the deserving essence of supermarket operation to include the key aspects of supermarket operation that deserves emphasis is product sourcing.
“Supermarkets must ensure that all regulated products stocked on their shelves are duly registered with NAFDAC and sourced from legitimate manufacturers or distributors”, he said .
According to him, the presence of unregistered, expired, counterfeit, or improper labelled products undermines consumer confidence and poses serious health risks.
He pointed out that such has the likelihood of  exposeing supermarket operators to legal sanctions that could damage their reputation and financial stability.
The NAFDAC Operator, further enlightened the participants that mere registration of a particular product with the Federal agency do not guarantee absolute consumption safety.
“Temperature control, cleanliness, pest control, stock rotation, and proper shelving are not optional practice; they are essential components of compliance”, he said.
The South South zonal director also told the operators of supermarket that their employees rotine training on the basis of the product they display for sale is of utmost importance.
In her presentation a Breast Milk Nutrition Expert , Professor Alice Nte of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), was against the body’s prime attention to breast milk substitute or baby milk in supermarkets as well as its advertisement or promotion.
Nye jerked up  the importance of mothers breast milk to the newborn baby and added that it  help in fighting against childhood diseases, infections and combating cancer in breastfeeding mothers.
Meanwhile, NAFDAC Deputy Director, South – South Zone , Mrs. Riter Chujwuma educated the participants on the guidelines for global listing, and the need to adhere strictly to rules guiding global listing to avoid confiscation of their imported products.
By: King Onunwor
Continue Reading

Business

BVN Enrolments Rise 6% To 67.8m In 2025 — NIBSS

Published

7 days ago

on

January 12, 2026

By

The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has said that Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolments rose by 6.8 per cent year-on-year to 67.8 million as at December 2025, up from 63.5 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.

In a statement published on its website, NIBSS attributed the growth to stronger policy enforcement by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the expansion of diaspora enrolment initiatives.

 According to the data, more than 4.3 million new BVNs were issued within the one-year period, underscoring the growing adoption of biometric identification as a prerequisite for accessing financial services in Nigeria.

NIBSS noted that the expansion reinforces the BVN system’s central role in Nigeria’s financial inclusion drive and digital identity framework.

Analysts linked the growth largely to regulatory measures by the CBN, particularly the directive to restrict or freeze bank accounts without both a BVN and National Identification Number (NIN), which took effect from April 2024.
The policy compelled many customers to regularise their biometric records to retain access to banking services.

Another major driver, the statement said, was the rollout of the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number (NRBVN) initiative, which allows Nigerians in the diaspora to obtain a BVN remotely without physical presence in the country.

The programme has been widely regarded as a milestone in integrating the diaspora into Nigeria’s formal financial system.

A five-year analysis by NIBSS showed consistent growth in BVN enrolments, rising from 51.9 million in 2021 to 56.0 million in 2022, 60.1 million in 2023, 63.5 million in 2024 and 67.8 million by December 2025. The steady increase reflects stronger compliance with biometric identity requirements and improved coverage of the national banking identity system.

However, NIBSS noted that BVN enrolments still lag the total number of active bank accounts, which exceeded 320 million as of March 2025.

The gap, it explained, is largely due to multiple bank accounts linked to single BVNs, as well as customers yet to complete enrolment, despite the progress recorded.

Continue Reading

Business

AFAN Unveils Plans To Boost Food Production In 2026

Published

1 week ago

on

January 9, 2026

By

The leadership of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has set the tone for the new year with a renewed focus on food security, unity and long-term growth of the agricultural sector.
The association announced that its General Assembly of Farmers Congress will take place from January 15 to 17, 2026 at the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industries, along Lugbe Airport Road, in the Federal Capital Territory.
The gathering is expected to bring together farmers, policymakers, investors and development partners to shape a fresh direction for Nigerian agriculture.
In a New Year address to members and stakeholders, AFAN president, Dr Farouk Rabiu Mudi, said the congress would provide a strategic forum for reviewing past challenges and outlining practical solutions for the future.
He explained that the event would serve as a rallying point for innovation, collaboration and economic renewal within the sector.
Mudi commended farmers across the country for their determination and hard work, despite years of insecurity, climate-related pressures and economic uncertainty.
According to him, their resilience has kept food production alive and positioned agriculture as a stabilising force in the national economy.
He noted that AFAN intends to build on this strength by resetting agribusiness operations to improve productivity and sustainability.
The AFAN leader appealed to government institutions, private investors and development organisations to deepen their engagement with the association.
He stressed the need for collective action to confront persistent issues such as insecurity in farming communities, climate impacts and market instability.
He also urged members to put aside internal disputes and personal interests, encouraging cooperation and shared responsibility in pursuit of national development.
Mudi outlined key priorities that include increasing food output, expanding support for farmers at the grassroots and strengthening local manufacturing through partnerships with both domestic and international investors adding that reducing dependence on imports remains critical to protecting the economy and creating jobs.
He stated that the upcoming congress will feature the launch of AFAN’s twenty-five-year agricultural mechanisation roadmap, alongside the announcement of new partnerships designed to accelerate growth across the value chain.
Participants, he said wi also have opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange aimed at transforming agriculture into a more competitive and technology-driven sector.
As part of its modernisation drive, AFAN is further encouraging members nationwide to enrol for the newly introduced Digital ID Card.
Mudi said the initiative will improve transparency, ensure proper farmer identification and make it easier to access support programmes and services.
Reaffirming the association’s long-term goal, he said the vision of national food sufficiency by 2030 remains achievable if unity and collaboration are sustained.
He expressed optimism that with collective effort, Nigeria’s agricultural sector can overcome its challenges and deliver a more secure and prosperous future.
Lady Usendi
Continue Reading

Trending