The federal government of Nigeria has approved the establishment of a N75 billion Youth Investment Fund. This was disclosed on Wednesday by the minister of youth and sports development, Sunday Dare, after the Federal Executive Council meeting.
Dare said the fund is to help entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35 foster their businesses. He said that anyone who falls within the age bracket and has a genuine business is welcome to pitch for a grant from the fund.
He said any of the 125 micro credit banks across the country is ready to accept pitches and grant candidates access to funds.
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“For the first time in the history of Nigeria, the federal executive council today approved the establishment of the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) to the tune of N75 billion.
“This fund is meant to create a special window for accessing credit facilities and financing on the part of our youths that will help to fund their ideas, innovations and also support their enterprise.
“The best way to call it is that for the first time, the country will have a youth bank; a fund that will cater specially for our youth within the stipulated age band, which is going to be between 18 and 35 years.
“The second approval that was secured was for the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to play a lead role in working on necessary steps that need to be taken in terms of legislation, organization and other aspects of financing.
“The federal ministry of finance, budget and national planning will take the lead when it comes to the aspect of financing, working with the CBN, the ministry of youth and sports development and other relevant MDAs,” he said.
The Minister explained that the NYIF will serve as a Youth Bank that will fund and support their innovative ideas, skills, talents and enterprises. It will also serve as a loan and credit pathway dedicated to enabling access to credit and soft loans.
He further disclosed that the NYIF N75 billion will last for three years, while he praised President Muhammadu Buhari for using the approval to demonstrate his “unflinching support for the Nigerian youth” and show his “implicit confidence in their innovative talents, potentials and industry.”
Dare said the development has fulfilled Buhari’s assertion that “it is our collective responsibility to ensure that we provide adequate resources to meet the basic needs of our teeming youth.”
While the development appears ideal, especially in the face of COVID-19 pandemic, it breeds some concerns. The Nigerian youth appear worried that the fund may not be accessible to those who need it unless they bribe their way to it. A claim they made pointing at the Credit Targeted Facility, approved earlier in the year to help SMEs to stay in business against the strains of the pandemic. The fund became inaccessible to a teeming number of entrepreneurs who needed it.
But it goes beyond that. Nigeria has similar banks for many sectors of the economy that have failed to yield the needed result. And for many, it is a reason to believe that the youth investment fund will make little or no impact apart from providing funds for public office holders to loot.
The Nigerian Export and Import Bank (NEXIM) was created in 1991 to provide credit facilities for the exportation of Nigerian goods and services, especially in the arts and entertainment industry. The objective was to foster the growth of the industry through credit and risk bearing facilities.
It’s been 29 years since then, and players in the arts and entertainment industry are still pointing at poor financing, and lack of access to funds as the bane of the industry’s growth.
The Bank of Industry (BOI) was also developed to provide access to funds for startups, SMEs, and large enterprises. The BOI, if effective, would have eliminated any need for a new entrepreneurial bank, as it was designed to cover all industrial sectors of the economy.
The prevalent need for funding in all entrepreneurial sectors of the economy proves how effective the banks have been in executing their mandate. It is based on the existing condition of the special banks that many believe the youth bank will have little or no success.
The president approved, the minister announced, and we should start clapping? They couldn’t deliver on fifty billion naira earlier, and the same people are promising another seventy five billion naira? It is not realistic.
Why are they not delivering? Because the same people running Nigeria into the ground are tasked with implementation, it didn’t work before, it’s not going to work now.
Were the youths contacted during the planning stage of this fund? And what is the maximum amount accessible per individual? If you give ten million naira to who needs hundred million naira because that’s the much you can give, you may lose the ten million naira, while the dream remains unrealised.
Now they are saying if young people walk into any of the 125 microcredit entities, pitch their ideas, and boom, they could receive money. This doesn’t show well thought out process, it lacks rigour and intellectual capital. What objectives do we have in mind? What do we wish to see from the funds years from now? Another bazaar on the way.
Any implementation and execution revolving around ministries and CBN here rarely works, we have seen this scripts over and over, yet we keep repeating it; because it’s never meant to be fruitful from the word go.
These schemes work because I actually got paid from the first Intervention, Only about 80,000 persons applied in the whole country. so I will say rather than criticizing, try them out first!
Let’s stop just complaining.
How can one apply?
I very Happy for the new effort because I am young enterprenuer within Kano city how can apply for the program?
Ideas? I really hope I see ideas being funded and I’m not referring to conceptualized ideas or a idea that is presently working.
I mean just an idea.
That’s said, this a good move. I just hope it works as it’s portrayed.
Why is the age restriction to 35 years?
So those people that are 36 to 40 years with innovative ideas should burry their ideas? Isn’t this an age discrimination?
Exactly!!!!
Please let me know the procedure of assessing it, am desperate to execute my ideas. Contact me on , 08052563198 or [email protected].
Another money released to the politicians to loot again.
Where is Nigeria heading to??
I’m a youth but lack trust in our Govt..
I want to apply for the program
How do I access this please
Please I have interest in this loan because I am a young entrepreneur
Am super excited for this great opportunity to showcase our talent and innovative ideas..God bless Nigeria for this singular act..We look forward to getting informed on the process ????
Am been applying for all this, but no good results at my side. Please make this easy application
I have interest in this loan