PIND Awards N44.3m Grants To Youth-led Businesses

The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has awarded ₦44.3million in catalytic grants to 65 youth-led businesses.

It is meant to reaffirm its commitment to unlocking youth potential as a driver of peace and sustainable economic development in the Niger Delta.

The ceremony held in Asaba, Delta State, to celebrate the International Youth Day (IYD) 2025, themed “Advancing Peace and Development in the Niger Delta Through Technology, Partnerships, and Job Creation”, brought together over 100 participants, including youth leaders, government officials, private sector actors, development partners, and civil society organisations.

The executive director of PIND Foundation, Mr. Sam Ogbemi Daibo, said this year’s event was a powerful statement about the creativity, resilience and leadership of young people in the Niger Delta.

“Through YEP, we are not just supporting individual entrepreneurs, we are building local ecosystems of peace and productivity, one youth-led enterprise at a time.

“YEP is PIND’s workforce readiness and enterprise development initiative designed to equip vulnerable and marginalized young people with technical, entrepreneurial and soft skills needed to access sustainable livelihoods.

“The programme’s model is evidence-based, competency driven and powered by partnerships with TVET institutions, private sector employers and government agencies.

“Of the 65 grants awarded, 22 went to service-oriented businesses (fashion, solar installation, photography), 20 to agriculture-based ventures, 18 to construction-related businesses, and five to ICT start-ups.

“At PIND, we recognize that no single actor can solve the complex challenges facing youth in the Niger Delta. That’s why collaboration—with government, private sector, civil society, and the youth themselves—is central to everything we do.” added Daibo.