FG S-VCG Finalists, Bootcamp and Awards Day 2026

The Federal Government has moved the Student Venture Capital Grant, S-VCG, to its final stage after shortlisting 65 student founders from 30,639 applicants across 404 tertiary schools.

The programme stands as a flagship project of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. It brings student-led business ideas closer to funding; it also points to the scale of fresh thinking coming from campuses across Nigeria.

Launched in December 2025 in partnership with the Bank of Industry, BOI, the scheme offers up to N50 million in equity-free funding for ventures at the commercialisation stage.

What the S-VCG programme is set to do

Through the Student Venture Capital Grant, the Federal Government says it is focused on:

• speeding up high-impact student-led ventures
• backing scalable solutions across key sectors
• giving equity-free funding to ventures at the commercialisation stage
• helping job creation through student entrepreneurship
• building an economy driven by new ideas

What the shortlist shows

The shortlist covers 65 student founders drawn from a large field of 30,639 applicants across 404 tertiary schools.

That result places a clear spotlight on the depth of student enterprise in Nigeria’s university space, with scalable ideas coming from major sectors.

Minister’s statement

The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, CON, described the scheme as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s next generation of founders and job creators.

He said, “The quality and ambition demonstrated by these 65 student innovators is deeply encouraging; we are building a strong pipeline of innovators who will drive Nigeria’s future growth.”

How the selection was done

The draft states that selection followed a multi-stage process. The steps included:

• AI-enabled screening for eligibility and alignment
• independent human validation for accuracy and fairness
• evaluation by teams from government, industry, academia, and the investment ecosystem
• assessment based on scalability, feasibility, founder capability, and impact potential

The final decision will rest on application scores, bootcamp performance, and committee deliberations.

Programme stages and timeline

Stage 1: Finalist selection

This stage has been completed.

A total of 65 student founders were shortlisted from 30,639 applicants across 404 tertiary schools.

Stage 2: Venture Development Bootcamp

Date: Thursday, 26 March to Sunday, 29 March 2026

The bootcamp will focus on:

• pitch sessions
• venture development workshops
• live venture evaluations
• investor-style feedback

Stage 3: Final grant decision

The final grant decision will be based on:

• application scores
• bootcamp performance
• evaluation committee deliberations

Stage 4: Beneficiary Awards Day

Event: Student Venture Capital Grant, S-VCG, Awards

Date: Sunday, 29 March 2026

Time: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Location: UNDP Innovation Hub, 17 Alfred Rewane Road, Lagos, Nigeria

Live coverage: Channels TV and Arise TV

Awards Day details at a glance

The final public event in this cycle is the Student Venture Capital Grant Awards Day. It will hold on Sunday, 29 March 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the UNDP Innovation Hub, 17 Alfred Rewane Road, Lagos, Nigeria.

Channels TV and Arise TV will cover the event live.

Share This Post: If this post helped you, share it with others! Use the buttons below to spread the word!

Meet The Author

This post is authored by Olusegun Fapohunda, the founder and editor of MySchoolGist.

Boasting over a decade of expertise in the education sector, Olusegun offers current insights into educational trends, career opportunities, and the latest news.

Connect with him on X (Formerly Twitter) for more updates.