ABUJA – The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, has announced a new initiative called the Building Resilient Young Nigerian Entrepreneurs Project, BRYNE. The project is designed to expand entrepreneurship support for young Nigerians across the country.

The announcement was made on August 13th, 2026, in Abuja, as part of activities marking International Youth Day 2026. SMEDAN says BRYNE will combine enterprise training, incubation, mentorship, access to finance, market opportunities, and business development support. The program is expected to reach more than 100,000 young Nigerians every year through both physical and digital channels.

The Director General of SMEDAN, Mr. Charles Odii, said the initiative reflects the agency’s commitment to providing practical pathways for young people at different stages of business. He noted that many young Nigerians have ideas and skills but struggle to find the right support at the right time. According to him, BRYNE will bring training, finance, markets and mentorship together to help more youths build businesses that can survive, grow, and create jobs.

‎The Head of SMEDAN’s Women and Youth Unit, Deputy Director Bimpe Fawale, explained that the project will be delivered through four main channels. The first is the SMEDAN Incubation Programme, SIP, which will support 600 young entrepreneurs annually in areas like fashion, woodwork, and agriculture, using SMEDAN’s Industrial Development Centres nationwide.

‎The second channel is the Campus Enterprise Engagement Platform. SMEDAN will work with the Federal Ministry of Education to take enterprise support directly to tertiary institutions. This will include business workshops, advisory sessions, networking, and exhibitions for student-owned businesses, targeting up to 3,000 participants per campus.

The third is BRYNE Digital Connect, BDC. This will use online platforms to provide entrepreneurship education, promote innovation, spotlight youth-led businesses, and connect entrepreneurs to wider markets through digital communities.

The fourth component is a weekly hackathon for young startups. It will provide business education to 5,000 young entrepreneurs each week. 52 winners will be selected, one every week, and each will receive 250,000 naira in seed funding.

SMEDAN said beneficiaries will also be linked to opportunities for business formalization, funding, mentorship, investor connections, market access, business information, and export support. The agency added that BRYNE builds on its broader work to help young Nigerians participate productively in the economy and build sustainable businesses.