The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and Jesnoch International Limited have opened applications for the Annual Youth in Agribusiness Innovation Contest, a national initiative targeting young Nigerians building agricultural businesses.

Delivered by Plus Incubation Hub Nigeria Limited under the AGRA-funded project “Systems Strengthening for BDS Provision and Access to Finance for Ag-SMEs”, the competition aims to identify, train and finance young agripreneurs across Nigeria.

Applications opened on Friday, 9 October 2026, at 10:00 WAT and will close on Friday, 16 October 2026, at 23:59 WAT. Nigerians aged 18 to 35 who are starting or operating agribusinesses, from the idea stage to established enterprises, can apply through the official portal at https://www.youthagriinnovate.ng.

Ten winners will receive seed funding, structured mentorship and introductions to financiers and offtakers. Thirty finalists will present their businesses at a live pitching event in Lagos on Thursday, 29 October 2026. The winners will receive their prizes publicly during the National MSME Conference in Lagos, scheduled for 8–10 November 2026.

Training opportunities for eligible applicants

The programme will provide training beyond the group of finalists and winners. Every applicant who passes the eligibility check will be invited to a free nationwide Virtual Training Day on Saturday, 17 October 2026.

The sessions will cover agribusiness fundamentals, financial literacy, access to finance and investment readiness. Recordings will be made available to applicants who cannot participate live, allowing them to complete the modules at their convenience.

An additional 120 young people will receive two days of intensive, practical, in-person training on Wednesday, 21 October, and Thursday, 22 October 2026. The training will take place concurrently in Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna states, with 40 participants allocated to each state.

Places will be offered to eligible applicants residing in the respective states, based on the order in which complete submissions are verified. Each state will reserve at least 12 places for women and at least eight for rural participants.

Participation in the physical training is separate from the contest judging process and will not give participants an advantage in the competition.

National competition with regional weighting

Although the contest is open to applicants nationwide, 60 per cent of finalist and training places will be weighted towards Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna, the focal states of the parent project.

Applicants from all other states will compete for the remaining places under the same published selection criteria. According to the programme details, the regional weighting will be applied once, at a single declared stage of the selection process. Full details are available in the contest rules on the application portal.

Eligibility and application requirements

Applicants must be Nigerian citizens aged between 18 and 35 on the application deadline. Their agribusinesses must also be registered through at least one of three recognised routes:

• Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration as a business name or limited company.
• SMEDAN MSME registration.
• Registered membership of a cooperative society.

Applications must be submitted online through https://www.youthagriinnovate.ng before the deadline. Late or incomplete entries will not be accepted.

The organisers have clarified that the application is individual rather than a group entry. One named applicant, aged 18 to 35, will be assessed, pitch the business and receive any award.

The registration requirement applies to the business, not directly to the individual applicant. It is intended to ensure that seed funding can be paid to an entity legally able to receive and account for the money, while supporting SMEDAN’s mandate to develop registered micro, small and medium enterprises.

The three registration options reflect the different ways young agripreneurs operate in Nigeria. Some run CAC-registered businesses or companies, while others have SMEDAN MSME registration. Many young farmers, particularly in Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna, operate through registered cooperative societies, a predominant legal structure in rural agriculture.

Accepting cooperative membership as evidence of a lawful business vehicle is intended to prevent rural entrepreneurs from being excluded simply because they do not have CAC registration. However, cooperative membership does not turn the application into a group entry, and the cooperative itself is not the applicant.

Young entrepreneurs who have not registered their businesses can obtain SMEDAN MSME registration free of charge online through https://smedan.gov.ng. Those who complete registration before the application deadline are eligible to apply.

Organisers emphasise practical support for young entrepreneurs

Edward “Headworld” Esene, Lead Consultant and Chief Executive of Plus Incubation Hub, said the initiative is designed to recognise practical agricultural innovation rather than focus solely on polished business presentations.

“We are not looking for the most polished pitch deck in the country. We are looking for the young person in Doma who has worked out how to cut post-harvest loss on a tomato crop, and the graduate in Minna building a soil-testing service out of a borrowed motorcycle.”

He also highlighted the decision to make training available to every verified applicant rather than limiting it to finalists.

“That is why every single verified applicant gets the training, not only the finalists. If a thousand young people come to this contest, they all get something tangible and valuable from this programme. This is why this initiative is a different and unique development intervention.”

Key dates for the Youth in Agribusiness Innovation Contest

• 9 October 2026: Applications open at 10:00 WAT.
• 16 October 2026: Application deadline at 23:59 WAT.
• 17 October 2026: Nationwide virtual training for eligible applicants.
• 21–22 October 2026: In-person training in Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna states.
• 27 October 2026: Announcement of the top 30 finalists.
• 29 October 2026: Pitch and Demo Day in Lagos.
• 8–10 November 2026: Award and Prize Day at the National MSME Conference in Lagos.

How to apply for the Youth in Agribusiness Innovation Contest

Eligible Nigerian entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 are encouraged to submit their applications online through the official portal: https://www.youthagriinnovate.ng.

Applicants must ensure their agribusiness is registered with the CAC, SMEDAN or a registered cooperative society. Applications close on Friday, 16 October 2026, at 23:59 WAT. Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

Apply now: https://www.youthagriinnovate.ng

Source: MSME Africa Online