FG awards ₦5m each to 8 youth founders via NiYA-Cascador programme, 9 others get ₦1m

The Ministry of Youth Development, through the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA) and Cascador, awarded ₦5 million ($3,711) in non-dilutive funding to eight Nigerian founders this week. The grants come from the NiYA-Cascador Founders Programme, a four-week initiative launched this August combining business training, regulatory guidance, mentorship, and capital without equity loss. Eight winners emerged from a cohort of 17 entrepreneurs selected from over 19,000 applications.

The funded startups span education, fashion tech, food production, manufacturing, agriculture, and climate solutions: SewPro (digital tools for tailors), Biuda (tech education for teens), Sparklean Station Nigeria (cleaning products), Backel Food Services (healthier food and beverages), Shellify (eggshell waste conversion), Rèkool Access Technology (solar-powered cold storage), Agrosavvy Consult (agriculture), and Craft Planet (plastic waste to construction materials). The remaining nine cohort members each receive ₦1 million ($742).

All 17 founders get access to SMECore, an ERP platform from technical partner Sapphital Limited, plus alumni status with NiYA. The programme also connected participants with regulatory bodies including NAFDAC, SON, NDP C, CAC, and NITDA for compliance guidance.

This follows February's NSIA-JICA $50 million Impact Innovation Fund for early-stage startups, signalling coordinated government effort to channel capital into the ecosystem. Cascador, which has backed 80 companies raising $150 million+ since 2019, also launched a $200 million lending fund with Sterling Bank in October.

If you're an early-stage founder, what's stopping you from applying to the next cohort—lack of awareness, preparation gaps, or something else?

SOURCE: https://techcabal.com/2026/11/10/cascador-niya-select-eight-founders/