Ogun to empower business-oriented youths with N500,000, N10m grants

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has announced plans to provide grants ranging from N500,000 to N10 million to business-oriented youths in the state.

The initiative, according to the governor, is part of the Ogun Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurial Programme (OGYES), which will be relaunched soon.

The governor made this disclosure at the Remo International Youth Day with the theme ‘Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health,’ held in Iperu-Remo on Tuesday.

Abiodun explained that the grants aim to support young entrepreneurs and provide them with the necessary capital to expand their businesses.

In addition to the grants, the state government will also offer interest-free digital loans and training in digital skills, technical, and vocational areas to empower the youth.

He said: “The Ogun Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurial Scheme that we will be launching in the next two weeks aims to do a few things; it is a programme directed at our Ogun State youths.

“We will identify, through a process, our young men and women who are entrepreneurs—those who have a flair for starting their own businesses or those who are already engaged in various businesses. We will support them with various grants.

“We will give them grants that will start from N500,000 to N10 million. This will allow them to have the cash they need to expand their businesses and provide cash flow for them. Others will have access to interest-free digital loans. All this we are unveiling in the next few weeks.

“We will also be training others in what we call Digital Training Enterprises—those who have a flair for ICT, those who want to improve their digital skills, and those who can become social media influencers and marketers.

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“We will also be providing technical and vocational training. This is very important because today, Ogun State is a massive construction site. We will be training our youth to become construction experts and contractors—those who will have the zeal for building, painting, welding, and many other skills.”

Governor Abiodun further revealed plans to replicate the successful Soilless Farm Lab in Awowo to establish the Ogun Youth Agricultural Programme, which will train 8,000 youths annually in Remoland.

The governor stressed the importance of youth involvement in addressing challenges such as climate change and food shortages. He called on young people to actively participate in transforming the food system for the benefit of both humans and the planet.

He said, “We started planting rice three months ago. That rice is due for harvesting this week. That means we can plant that rice four times a year.

“We must acknowledge that the future health and prosperity of our community depend on the active participation of young people like you.

“Our food systems are at a pivotal juncture, and the importance of a robust food system cannot be overstated—it impacts our health, environment, and economy. As we confront issues such as climate change, food shortages, and health crises, it is clear that innovative solutions prioritising human and planetary health are essential.”

The Paramount Ruler of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, urged the youth to embrace hard work and avoid laziness.

He also appealed to the government for support in providing tractors to youths interested in agriculture.