The Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, in collaboration with Pelse Consulting, has stepped up efforts to equip young entrepreneurs with the knowledge, mentorship and business support needed to turn their skills and ideas into sustainable and profitable enterprises.

The initiative was showcased at the 2026 Amplifier Business Clinic Pitch Day, where selected young entrepreneurs presented their businesses to a panel of business professionals and investors.

The Amplifier Business Clinic is designed to go beyond providing grants by equipping young people with the business knowledge and discipline required to build enterprises that can create jobs, generate income and contribute to economic growth.

Managing Partner of Pelse Consulting, Bababoye Adeniji Oluwafemi, said the programme was established to bridge the gap between acquiring a skill or developing an innovative idea and building a sustainable business.

“Having skills or coming up with an innovation is something, but running a business is a different ball game entirely,” he said.

According to him, the programme serves as an accelerator for budding entrepreneurs, start-up owners and small and medium enterprise (SME) founders, providing them with the fundamentals of running successful businesses in Lagos, Nigeria and Africa.

He said participants received training in financial modelling, cash-flow management, pricing, customer service, risk management, business-plan development, financial analysis, record keeping, branding, storytelling, social media management, artificial intelligence, innovation management, team leadership and process design.

“We don’t teach skill; we teach business. What we are amplifying is the skill that you already have to help you scale it,” Bababoye said.

He disclosed that the latest edition of the programme attracted about 1,300 applications from across Lagos State, which were subjected to online assessments, interviews and other screening processes.

The number was subsequently reduced to 568, while 250 participants advanced to the virtual training stage.

The participants underwent training, business-case assessments and other evaluations, with top performers progressing to the physical training and pitching stages.

Bababoye said the final selection was based on participants’ performance in business cases, assessments, attendance and mock pitches.

He explained that the partnership between the ministry and Pelse Consulting also provided participants with access to financial institutions and government agencies.

He said Zenith Bank was invited to assist participants without business accounts, while the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) provided information on available financing opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Bababoye added that the programme would extend beyond the pitching exercise and grant presentation, as successful participants would receive compulsory mentorship from professionals in their respective sectors.

Businesses and products showcased at the event included agbalumo, snacks, suits, crochet, pillows, cosmetics, honey, printed T-shirts, handbags, footwear, school bags, corporate wear, palm oil, beads and dry fish, among others.

He said Pelse Consulting would also conduct periodic monitoring and evaluation visits to beneficiaries’ businesses to assess their progress and provide additional support after the training.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu, said the partnership was aimed at ensuring that young people in the state were adequately engaged, empowered and equipped to contribute to economic development.

She said young people could become economic assets when provided with the right knowledge, opportunities and support.

Oke-Osanyintolu explained that the Amplifier Business Clinic was designed to help participants transform their skills and hobbies into income-generating ventures capable of creating employment.

“Sometimes when people start businesses, they start it as a hobby. Maybe you’re good at sewing, you start it as a hobby. But here we teach them how to make their hobbies into a money-making venture where the business can contribute to the economic growth of the state,” she said.

She disclosed that N30 million in grants would be awarded to 10 beneficiaries under the 2026 programme, compared with N20 million given to eight beneficiaries in the previous edition.

She, however, stressed that financial grants were only one aspect of the support provided to participants, noting that beneficiaries would also be attached to mentors to guide them on the effective use of the funds to expand their businesses.

“We do not give them the grant and stop there. We attach them to mentors,” she said.

Oke-Osanyintolu added that participants who did not receive grants would also retain access to the ministry’s support.

For the participants, the programme provided lessons that extended beyond the prospect of receiving financial support.