The Federal Government has shortlisted 65 student innovators from a pool of 30,639 applicants across 404 tertiary institutions nationwide for the final stage of the Student Venture Capital Grant, a flagship initiative of President Bola Tinubu aimed at boosting innovation and entrepreneurship among young Nigerians.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, on Monday.
The statement said the selected students are developing solutions across sectors considered critical to national development.
Speaking on the development, the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, described the programme as a strategic investment in the country’s future innovators and job creators.
“The quality and ambition demonstrated by these 65 student innovators is deeply encouraging. Reaching this stage represents a significant milestone, and I look forward to the next phase as these ventures are refined and prepared for scale. Through this initiative, we are building a strong pipeline of innovators and entrepreneurs who will drive Nigeria’s future growth,” the minister said in the statement.
According to the ministry, the selection process involved multiple stages to ensure transparency and merit. Applications were first subjected to AI-enabled screening to assess eligibility and alignment with programme objectives, followed by human validation.
Shortlisted entries were then evaluated by a committee comprising representatives from government, academia, industry and the investment community, using criteria such as scalability, feasibility, founder capability and impact potential.
The 65 finalists are expected to participate in an intensive venture development bootcamp scheduled for March 26 to 29, 2026.
