- Home Edu Gists FG S-VCG Finalists, Bootcamp and
Awards Day 2026 Digestible Summary(tl; dr)The Federal government has actually shortlisted 65 finalists for the Student Equity Capital Grant. Awards Day hangs on 29 March 2026 in Lagos. 65 finalists originated from 30,639 candidates
- Applications came from 404 tertiary schools
- Bootcamp runs from 26 to 29 March 2026
- Awards Day holds from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
- Location is UNDP Development Center, Lagos
- speeding up high-impact student-led ventures
- backing scalable solutions throughout crucial sectors
- providing equity-free financing to ventures at the commercialisation stage
- assisting job development through trainee entrepreneurship
- building an economy driven by new ideas
- AI-enabled screening for eligibility and positioning
- independent human recognition for accuracy and fairness
- examination by groups from government, market, academia, and the investment environment
- evaluation based upon scalability, expediency, founder capability, and impact potential
- pitch sessions
- endeavor development workshops
- live endeavor evaluations
- investor-style feedback
- application ratings
- bootcamp efficiency
- examination committee deliberations
The Federal government has moved the Student Venture Capital Grant, S-VCG, to its last after shortlisting 65 student founders from 30,639 candidates throughout 404 tertiary schools. The programme stands as a flagship task of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. It brings student-led organization concepts better to funding; it likewise indicates the scale of fresh thinking coming from schools throughout Nigeria.
Launched in December 2025 in partnership with the Bank of Industry, BOI, the plan provides to N50 million in equity-free financing for endeavors at the commercialisation phase.
Tabulation
What the S-VCG programme is set to do
Through the Student Venture Capital Grant, the Federal government states it is focused on:
What the shortlist reveals
The shortlist covers 65 trainee creators drawn from a big field of 30,639 candidates across 404 tertiary schools.
That result positions a clear spotlight on the depth of trainee business in Nigeria’s university space, with scalable concepts originating from major sectors.
Minister’s declaration
The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, CON, explained the plan as a tactical financial investment in Nigeria’s next generation of creators and job creators.
He said, “The quality and ambition shown by these 65 student innovators is deeply motivating; we are developing a strong pipeline of innovators who will drive Nigeria’s future growth.”
How the choice was done
The draft states that selection followed a multi-stage process. The actions consisted of:
The final decision will rest on application ratings, bootcamp performance, and committee deliberations.
Programme phases and timeline
Phase 1: Finalist selection
This stage has actually been completed.
A total of 65 trainee founders were shortlisted from 30,639 candidates throughout 404 tertiary schools.
Stage 2: Endeavor Advancement Bootcamp
Date: Thursday, 26 March to Sunday, 29 March 2026
The bootcamp will focus on:
Stage 3: Final grant choice
The final grant decision will be based upon:
Stage 4: Recipient Awards Day
Event: Trainee Venture Capital Grant, S-VCG, Awards
Date: Sunday, 29 March 2026
Time: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Area: UNDP Innovation Center, 17 Alfred Rewane Roadway, Lagos, Nigeria
Live protection: Channels TV and Arise Television
Awards Day details at a glance
The last public occasion in this cycle is the Trainee Venture Capital Grant Awards Day. It will hang on Sunday, 29 March 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the UNDP Innovation Center, 17 Alfred Rewane Road, Lagos, Nigeria.
Channels Television and Occur TV will cover the event live.
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