Nigeria Reopens Student Venture Capital Grant for Emerging Founders

Nigeria Reopens Student Venture Capital Grant for Emerging Founders

Quick Reads

• Nigeria’s Federal Government has opened applications for the second cohort of its Student Venture Capital Grant (S-VCG)

• Selected student ventures can receive up to ₦50 million in equity-free funding.

• Nigerian tertiary students, generally from 300 level and above, with eligible STEMM-focused ventures can apply . Applications deadline for the second cohort close on September 30, 2026.

Nigeria’s Federal Government has opened applications for the second cohort of its Student Venture Capital Grant (S-VCG, creating a potential ₦2.5 billion funding pool for 50 student-led ventures.

Imagine you’re a Nigerian student, you have built a serious business or technology solution, but the biggest problem standing between your idea and the market is money. Well, the Federal Government is basically saying: “Okay, bring that idea here. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The Student Venture Capital Grant was launched in 2025 as part of the Federal Government’s effort to turn universities, polytechnics and colleges of education into places where businesses and commercially useful innovations can actually be built.

The announcement made in Abuja, where Adebayo Onigbanjo, National Project Coordinator of the S-VCG under the Federal Ministry of Education, officially announced the opening of the application portal during a media and press briefing.

Under the programme, each selected venture can receive up to ₦50 million in equity-free funding. The initiative designed to help promising student businesses move from development into commercially viable ventures, while also providing mentorship, validation and business support.

Who Can Apply?

The Nigeria Student Venture Capital Grant is open to students currently enrolled in Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. Applicants must generally be 300 level or above, while lower-level students can participate as members of a team led by an eligible student.

Applicants must also have a CAC-registered business, and their venture must be beyond the proof-of-concept stage. Eligible ventures should fall within Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences (STEMM), including technology, healthcare, agriculture, energy and education.

The government says the programme aimed at closing the early-stage funding gap for student innovators and helping transform ideas developed in Nigerian tertiary institutions into businesses with commercial potential.

Applications for S-VCG Cohort 2 close on September 30, 2026. The Official application portal, S-VCG Official Portal.