The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and Jesnoch International Limited have opened applications for the Annual Youth in Agribusiness Innovation Contest, a national initiative designed to identify and support young Nigerians building innovative businesses in agriculture.
The competition will select 10 winners who will receive seed funding, structured mentorship and opportunities to connect with financiers and off takers. Thirty finalists will also be invited to pitch their business ideas before a live audience in Lagos, with the winners receiving their prizes at the National MSME Conference in the city.
The contest is being implemented by Plus Incubation Hub Nigeria Limited under an AGRA funded project titled “Systems Strengthening for BDS Provision and Access to Finance for Ag SMEs”. The initiative aims to strengthen business development support and improve access to funding for agricultural small and medium enterprises.
Beyond the competition, eligible applicants will have access to training opportunities intended to improve their business knowledge and prepare them for investment. Those who pass the eligibility screening will be invited to a free nationwide virtual training session on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
The online programme will cover essential areas of agribusiness, financial literacy, access to finance and investment readiness. Sessions will be recorded and made available to participants who are unable to attend live, allowing them to complete the training at a convenient time.
An additional 120 young agripreneurs will receive intensive, practical training through in person sessions scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 22, 2026. The training will take place simultaneously in Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna states, with 40 participants selected from each state.
Places will be offered to eligible applicants who live in the respective states, based on the order in which their complete submissions are verified. The organisers have also set minimum participation targets for women and rural residents, with at least 12 women and eight rural participants to be included in each state’s training group.
However, participation in the training programme will not influence an applicant’s chances of winning the competition. Training selection and contest judging will be conducted separately, ensuring that the two processes remain distinct.
Although the contest is open to young agribusiness entrepreneurs across Nigeria, 60 per cent of finalist and training places will be allocated with a focus on Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna, which are the priority states under the wider project. Applicants from other states will compete for the remaining places using the same published assessment criteria.
The geographical weighting will be applied at one clearly stated stage of the selection process, with the full details available in the contest rules on the application portal.
The organisers have also clarified that applications must be submitted by individuals rather than groups. Each applicant must be between 18 and 35 years old and will be assessed, invited to pitch and considered for an award in their own name.
Although the application is individual, the applicant’s agribusiness must have an acceptable form of registration. This requirement is intended to ensure that seed funding can be paid to a legally recognised entity capable of receiving and accounting for the money. It also aligns with SMEDAN’s responsibility to support the development of registered micro, small and medium enterprises.
To accommodate the different ways young Nigerians operate agricultural businesses, the contest recognises three forms of registration. Applicants may provide evidence of a business name or company registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), a SMEDAN MSME registration or membership in a registered cooperative society.
The inclusion of cooperative societies is particularly important for young farmers in Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna, where cooperatives serve as a common legal and operational structure for rural agricultural activities. Restricting eligibility to CAC registered businesses would leave out many young agripreneurs who conduct legitimate business through registered cooperatives.
Under the rules, cooperative membership can serve as evidence that an applicant’s agribusiness operates through a lawful trading structure. However, this provision does not turn the application into a group entry. The individual young agripreneur remains the applicant, while the cooperative serves only as the recognised business vehicle.
Through funding, mentorship, practical training and access to potential business partners, the initiative seeks to give young Nigerians in agriculture better opportunities to develop sustainable enterprises and strengthen their prospects of securing investment.
