NiYA, run by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, has seed funding running for young Nigerian entrepreneurs right now. A new NiYA x Cascador Founders Programme opens for application on August 19, 2026, through niya.gov.ng. Eight out of a pilot cohort of 20 founders will get up to ₦5 million each in non-dilutive funding. There’s also NiYA Startup Pitch 2.0, still open on a rolling basis, offering a share of ₦100 million to 100 youth-led tech startups, for founders aged 18 to 35 with a team of at least two co-founders, a NiYA course certificate, and a pitch deck. NiYA has already paid out seed money before too: ₦1 million each to 200 startups and 17 pitch winners, and ₦500,000 each to 100 informal-sector entrepreneurs.
If you’re a young Nigerian entrepreneur looking for seed money to grow your business, NiYA has more than one door open for you right now. The Federal Ministry of Youth Development, through the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), just announced a fresh funding partnership that can put up to ₦5 million in the pocket of a young founder. There’s also another seed funding call still running, and past ones that already gave out money to hundreds of youth-led businesses. This post lays out all of it in one place: what’s new, what’s still open, and how to apply for each one.
About the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA) and what it does for youths
NiYA is a youth empowerment programme run by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development. President Bola Tinubu launched it on March 24, 2025, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, and Vice President Kashim Shettima stood in for him at the event. It falls under the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The whole programme runs on a theme called “One Youth, Two Skills,” meaning every young person who goes through it should come out with at least two skills they can use to earn money.
NiYA isn’t just one thing. It’s a group of platforms working together, not a single programme. There’s NiYA Academy, which gives free skills training. NiYA Community, where young people connect with mentors and each other. NiYA Gigs, the freelance work platform. And NiYA Startup Pitch, which is where the funding for startups comes from.
The government says it wants to train and empower 7 million Nigerian youths within two years through all of this. So when people talk about “NiYA seed funding,” they usually mean the money that comes from the startup and entrepreneurship side of the ecosystem. That’s what this post is about.
The new NiYA x Cascador Founders Programme opening for application on August 19, 2026
On August 14, 2026, the Federal Ministry of Youth Development announced a new partnership between NiYA and Cascador, a Nigeria-focused platform that has supported over 70 companies since 2019. Those companies have raised more than $125 million combined, according to Cascador. The new programme is called the NiYA x Cascador Founders Programme. It’s built for early-stage founders, including those who don’t have their business registered yet or any real financial track record.
The programme will take a pilot group of 20 young founders through four weeks of training. This covers business basics, getting ready for investors, and how to pitch a business properly. Some of it happens physically in Abuja, some happens online. Each founder also gets one-on-one mentorship.
At the end of the four weeks, only 8 of the 20 founders, the best performers, will walk away with actual money. Cascador is putting up to ₦5 million into each of their businesses. It’s non-dilutive, meaning the founders don’t give up any shares or ownership in exchange for it. Winners also get an ERP tool to help them run and manage their business better. Everyone who finishes the four weeks, not just the 8 who get funded, keeps their NiYA alumni status. They also get priority for future NiYA opportunities.
Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande said the whole point of the partnership is to close the gap between training young people and getting them real money to build with. A lot of young founders in Nigeria have good ideas but no financial records or connections that investors usually look for. That’s the exact gap this programme is trying to close.
How to apply for the NiYA x Cascador Founders Programme
Applications open on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, through the NiYA website at niya.gov.ng. The eligibility criteria and application form will be published on the portal from that date. It’s best to keep checking the site once it’s live. Only 20 people make the pilot cohort, and just 8 of those 20 get funded. Expect this one to be competitive.
The NiYA Startup Pitch 2.0 seed funding that is still open
Aside from the new Cascador partnership, there’s another NiYA funding call you can still apply to right now. It’s called NiYA Startup Pitch 2.0. It’s looking for 100 youth-led tech startups to share a ₦100 million funding pool. The programme is backed by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, with Sapphital Ltd as the implementation partner.
This isn’t NiYA’s first startup pitch. The pilot round pulled in more than 14,000 applications. Out of those, 17 startups were picked and given ₦1 million each in seed funding. Startup Pitch 2.0 is the bigger version of that same idea.
To apply, you need to meet a few conditions. You must be between 18 and 35 years old and currently living in Nigeria. You can’t apply alone, sha, your startup needs a team of at least two co-founders. You also need a completed NiYA Community profile, a NiYA course completion certificate, and a pitch deck explaining your business idea and how it can scale. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, not a fixed deadline. The earlier you submit, the better your chances before all 100 slots fill up.
Before you can apply for the pitch, you’ll need to register on NiYA first. Go to niya.gov.ng to sign up for the free skills training, then create your profile on the NiYA Community at my.nigerianyouthacademy.com. Once your profile and course certificate are ready, head to niya.gov.ng/niyastartup/ to submit your pitch.
Seed funding NiYA has already given out
NiYA didn’t just start talking about seed funding now, it has already paid some out. On December 9, 2025, when President Tinubu launched NiYA Gigs, the freelance work platform under NiYA, the government also handed out grants to 300 young entrepreneurs at the same event. 200 youth-led startups got ₦1 million each. Another 100 people running informal businesses got ₦500,000 each. That’s on top of the 17 startups that got ₦1 million each from the first Startup Pitch round.
None of that money is still available to apply for, it’s already been disbursed. But it shows this isn’t a one-off promise. The government keeps opening new seed funding rounds under NiYA every few months. That’s why it’s worth registering on the platform even if there’s no active call you qualify for right now.
Things you should know before you apply for any NiYA seed funding
Getting any of this money isn’t automatic just because you sign up. A few things to keep in mind:
- Register on NiYA first and finish your free skills training. A lot of the funding calls, like Startup Pitch 2.0, need a course completion certificate before you can even apply.
- None of the funding is guaranteed. Only 8 out of the 20 Cascador pilot founders get paid. Startup Pitch 2.0 has just 100 slots for what will likely be thousands of applicants, going by how the first round went.
- Your NiYA Community profile matters. Some of the programmes check whether it’s complete before they even look at your pitch.
- Don’t rely on random pages online for updates. Go straight to niya.gov.ng, since a few details, like the exact eligibility for the Cascador programme, are still being published as of this writing.
