65 Niger Delta Youth-owned Businesses in Niger Get PIND Grants

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

The Foundation For Partnership Initiatives in The Niger Delta (PIND) has empowered 65 youth-owned businesses drawn from the nine states in the Niger Delta region while restating its commitment to sharpening the skills of the youths towards fostering positive collaboration, peace innovation and enterprising initiatives on a sustainable basis.

PIND unveiled the beneficiaries at a ceremony to commemorate the 2025 International Youth Day and Business Challenge Fund Awards initiated under its enterprise-based Youth Employment Pathways (YEP) held in Asaba, Delta State.

PIND awarded a total of ₦44.3 million of what it termed “catalytic grants’ to 65 youth-led businesses as reaffirmation of the foundation’s demonstrable “commitment to unlocking youth potential as a driver of peace and sustainable economic development in the Niger Delta.”

However, the transformative regional event held at the Delta State capital, focused on what PIND’s Executive Director, Mr. Sam Ogbemi Daibo, said that it was aimed at “amplifying youth voices and showcasing scalable models that harness the power of young people to drive peacebuilding, innovation, and inclusive economic growth across the Niger Delta” in a sustainable manner.

The 65 recipients—33 males and 32 females, including three persons with disabilities—hail from Delta, Ondo, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States, and operate across sectors such as agriculture, ICT, fashion, catering, solar installation, construction, and photography.

“At PIND, we recognize that no single actor can solve the complex challenges facing youth in the Niger Delta,” he said, adding, “That’s why collaboration – with government, private sector, civil society, and the youth themselves – is central to everything we do.”

Spotlighting peace, innovation and job creation in the Niger Delta, the ceremony held under the sub-theme, “Advancing Peace and Development in the Niger Delta Through Technology, Partnerships, and Job Creation, and brought together youths, youth leaders, policymakers, development partners, private sector stakeholders, civil society organizations as well as representatives of state governments.

Through various presentations, peer review involving beneficiaries and alumni of previous training programmes of PIND with partners and two in-depth panel sessions, participants explored potentials for unlocking new pathways for engagement by young people in sustainable development, through strategic collaboration, bold digital innovation and entrepreneurship.

According to Daibo, the 2025 International Youth Day event is more than a celebration: “It is a strategic platform for galvanizing public and private sector commitments toward building a more resilient and prosperous future for young people in the Niger Delta. Indeed, it is a powerful statement about the creativity, resilience, and leadership of young people in the Niger Delta.”

‎The PIND’s chief executive underscored the fact that the theme of the 2025 International Youth Day aptly captured the right aspirations of youths, which represented a global call to recognize the potentials of the vital segment of the population in shaping the future in the region and beyond.

Of the 65 grants awarded, 22 went to service-oriented businesses (fashion, solar installation, photography), 20 to agriculture-based ventures, 18 to construction-related businesses, and 5 to ICT start-ups, YEP’s Manager, Mr. Patrick Ekpe explained.

“This year’s edition of the YEP Business Challenge Fund was implemented in partnership with the Nigeria Philanthropy Office (NPO), underscoring the growing momentum for private-public collaboration in tackling youth unemployment and promoting regional stability”, Ekpe stated.

Aside the presentation of the over N44 million cheques to the 65 beneficiaries of the scalable business challenge, highpoints of the event included incisive real-world testimonies of their progressive business trajectory by some of the PIND training programme alumni, under ‘Voice Impact’, as well as two panel sessions.

“Before YEP, I had skills but no direction. The program didn’t just give me capital – it gave me clarity, mentorship, and belief in myself,” said Dr. Faith Eborka, a grant recipient and publisher cum digital marketing entrepreneur.

“I learnt about how to use Search Engine Optimization SEOs to optimize contents. Today, I am running my own business and training other young people in my community. That’s the kind of ripple effect we need”, she said.

To Olajumoke Motuntayo, a farmer, “I moved from being a PIND trainee to a trainer because I learned about structure; and, the structure gave me the opportunity not only to scale up my business but also to be able to teach other people.”

‎Chiemela Anosike, who provides affordable clean energy solutions through solar power said that her business had received more $70, 000 in grants, following her series of training engagement PIND.

The two high-level panel discussions included, ‘Opportunities and Models for Scaling Youth Employment and Job Linkages in the Niger Delta’, and ‘Harnessing Technology and Strategic Partnerships for Sustainable, Youth-Led Peace and Development’, with the former featuring the Delta State Chief Job and Wealth Creation Officer, Comrade Ifeanyi Egwunyenga.

Other panelists also included representatives from the Global Shapers Community, AIESEC, Junior Chamber International (JCI), youth development professionals, and PIND’s alumni Peace Champions.