SMEDAN Unveils BRYNE Project To Empower 100,000 Young Entrepreneurs Annually

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has unveiled the Building Resilient Young Nigerian Entrepreneurs (BRYNE) Project, an initiative aimed at supporting more than 100,000 young Nigerians annually with entrepreneurship training, finance, mentorship and market opportunities.

The initiative, announced as part of activities marking International Youth Day 2026, will combine physical and digital interventions to provide enterprise training, incubation, access to finance, market linkages and business development support.

The director-general and chief executive officer of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, said BRYNE was designed to give young Nigerians practical support at different stages of building their businesses.

“Across the country, we meet young people with ideas, skills and businesses that can grow, but many still struggle to find the right support at the right time,” Odii said.

He said the project would bring together opportunities in training, incubation, finance, markets and mentorship to help more young Nigerians build sustainable businesses and create jobs.

The head of SMEDAN’s Women and Youth Unit, Deputy Director Bimpe Fawale, said BRYNE would be delivered through four major channels targeting young entrepreneurs in communities, tertiary institutions and online.

Under the SMEDAN Incubation Programme, 600 young entrepreneurs will receive support annually in sectors including fashion, woodwork and agriculture through the agency’s network of Industrial Development Centres.

The Campus Enterprise Engagement Platform will take enterprise support to tertiary institutions in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education. It will provide practical business workshops, advisory sessions, networking and exhibitions for student-owned businesses, targeting up to 3,000 participants per participating campus.

The BRYNE Digital Connect will provide entrepreneurship education through digital platforms while promoting innovation, business growth and youth-led enterprises. It will also connect grassroots businesses to wider markets and create online communities focused on enterprise development.

The project will further run a weekly startup hackathon offering business education and enterprise opportunities to 5,000 young entrepreneurs. Fifty-two winners will each receive ₦250,000 in seed funding, with one winner selected every week.

Fawale said the various components were designed to meet entrepreneurs at different stages of business development.

“Some need help turning an idea into a business. Others already have businesses but need finance, mentorship, better market access or the right information to take the next step,” she said.

She added that BRYNE would connect beneficiaries to opportunities for business formalisation, funding, mentorship, investor and market linkages, business information and export support through SMEDAN and its partners.

SMEDAN said the initiative builds on its broader efforts to expand economic opportunities for young Nigerians and help promising entrepreneurs establish and grow sustainable businesses.