The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has reaffirmed the commitment of the National Assembly to creating an enabling legal and institutional environment for entrepreneurship to thrive, as he announced N500,000 grants for 74 young entrepreneurs at the Youth Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (YEEP) 2026 Summit in Abuja.
Speaking at the summit on Thursday, Kalu emphasized that deliberate investment in youth capacity, skills development, and enterprise remains essential to Nigeria’s future growth and prosperity. The event was organized by Activate Success International Foundation and Flutterwave in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Nestlé Nigeria.
Addressing participants, the Deputy Speaker described entrepreneurship as a critical driver of national development and economic transformation, stressing that Nigeria’s greatest challenge is not a shortage of talent or ambition but the need to convert youthful energy into structured opportunities and sustainable productivity.
According to him, young Nigerians are already making significant contributions across sectors including finance, agriculture, logistics, education, and the creative economy, demonstrating what is possible when innovation is supported by the right structures and opportunities.
“Every generation is confronted with its defining test. For ours, that test is not the absence of talent, nor the scarcity of ideas, nor even the lack of ambition. Our challenge is the transformation of abundant youthful energy into structured opportunity and the conversion of potential into sustainable productivity,” Kalu said.
He noted that the responsibility of government and stakeholders is to create systems that enable entrepreneurial success to become the norm rather than the exception.
“As legislators, we remain committed to strengthening the legal and institutional environment that allows enterprise to flourish. As a nation, we must begin to see entrepreneurship not as an alternative path for a few, but as a central pillar of national development and economic transformation,” he added.
The Deputy Speaker urged young Nigerians to approach their future with purpose, discipline, and resilience, reminding them that success is achieved through deliberate effort and determination.
“Your future is not something you stumble into; it is something you deliberately construct. Do not allow your circumstances to define your possibilities. Do not allow fear to delay your actions. Build with patience, learn with humility, and grow with resilience,” he charged.
As part of efforts to support emerging entrepreneurs, Kalu announced that 74 young Nigerians would receive grants of N500,000 each under the programme. He explained that the initiative builds on the success of the previous edition, during which more than 30 young entrepreneurs benefited from similar grants.
He assured participants that the number of beneficiaries would increase in subsequent editions, provided the grants are effectively utilized to grow businesses and create value.
Kalu also commended Activate Success International Foundation and its partners for their commitment to youth empowerment and entrepreneurship development, describing their intervention as a valuable contribution to national development.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Founder of Activate Success International Foundation, Mrs. Love Idoko-Uloko, said Nigeria requires a generation of young people willing to build solutions rather than wait for assistance.
Speaking on the theme of the summit, “Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Courage and Impact,” she said the future of the country depends on empowering young people to solve problems, create value, and sustain impact.
“Nigeria does not require a generation that waits for rescue; it requires a generation prepared to build. A generation willing to solve problems, create value, and sustain impact over time,” she stated.
She noted that the foundation’s decision to invest in people over the last 11 years is yielding positive results and reaffirmed its commitment to equipping young Nigerians with the tools and opportunities needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving global economy.
Representing Flutterwave, Business Development Executive Olufunmilayo Olaniyi expressed the company’s support for the foundation’s vision, stressing that economic empowerment is about providing access to the right tools, markets, and systems that enable entrepreneurs to thrive.
“At Flutterwave, we believe the best investment goes beyond ideas and is shown in the people bold enough to act on them. We are bringing the full force of the Flutterwave engine into this programme because economic empowerment is not charity; it is access,” she said.
In addition to the grants announced by the Deputy Speaker, the organizers also presented N500,000 grants to 25 young entrepreneurs and distributed five brand-new sewing machines to five young tailors to strengthen their businesses.
The YEEP 2026 Summit brought together young entrepreneurs, policymakers, development partners, and other stakeholders to explore practical pathways for scaling youth-led businesses and integrating them into Nigeria’s economic growth agenda.
The event underscored the growing recognition that entrepreneurship and innovation remain key to tackling unemployment, stimulating economic growth, and unlocking the vast potential of Nigeria’s youthful population.
