Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has announced a a cumulative package of N300 Million Naira by the state government to support youth entrepreneurship initiatives in the state.
The package is an expansion of the Kogi Youth Entrepreneurship and Business Grant Programme with a monthly installment of N50 Million from August 2026 to January 2027 to create sustained funding window for young entrepreneurs in the state.
Governor Ododo disclosed this at the Kogi Youth Entrepreneurship and Business Grant Programme organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to commemorate the 2026 International Youth Day in Lokoja.
The Governor said the monthly intervention would complement the youth grant programme, with the government expected to provide N300 million in additional support for a six-month period.
He noted the initiative is a reflection of conviction by the government that investing in young people is an investment in the future of Kogi State, stressing that his administration has been deliberate in creating opportunities that would enable youths to become productive contributors to the state’s economy.
According to him, young people should not only be beneficiaries of government policies but active partners in governance and development, noting that the decision to invest in entrepreneurship was part of the administration’s broader strategy to unlock the potential of the youth population.
“Every young person deserves a government that sees them not just as beneficiaries of policies, but as partners in government,” the Governor said.
Ododo said the impact of government should be measured by its actions rather than its declarations, stressing that the decision to empower young people was a practical demonstration of the confidence in the capacity of young people to create value.
He urged the beneficiaries to be productive and entrepreneurial, noting that government alone could not provide employment for every young person but could create the enabling environment, provide support and open opportunities for them to establish sustainable businesses.
The Governor attributed youth empowerment to the state’s security and economic development, adding that efforts to combat insecurity must go hand in hand with economic prosperity.
He said providing young people with legitimate opportunities to earn a living would help reduce vulnerability to criminality, stressing that there could be no justification for crime and that government had a responsibility to create conditions that would make productivity and enterprise more attractive.
Ododo charged the beneficiaries to see the grants as a vote of confidence in their abilities and use the funds to build sustainable businesses, develop innovations and create enterprises capable of growing beyond the initial intervention.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Monday Anyebe, commended Governor Ododo for supporting youth-focused programmes, saying meaningful development occurs when government listens to young people and creates pathways for people to succeed.
Anyebe said the administration had created opportunities for youths across different sectors, describing the grant as another step in consolidating the government’s youth development agenda.
The Commissioner urged beneficiaries to utilise the funds judiciously, noting that a small business, when properly supported and managed, could grow into a thriving enterprise capable of creating jobs and contributing significantly to the Kogi economy.
He disclosed that a Grant Monitoring and Evaluation body had been established to track the utilisation and impact of the funds, identify beneficiaries requiring additional support and assess the capacity of the businesses to create sustainable employment.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Moses Ocheje expressed appreciation to the state government for the intervention and assured that the beneficiaries would deploy the grants responsibly to grow their businesses, create value and justify the confidence reposed in them by the administration.
Highpoint of the occasion was the presentation of grants to beneficiaries from the 21 local government areas in the state.
