The Federal Ministry of Education and the National Skills Council have opened applications for the Student Venture Capital Program, announcing that students can now “submit your business innovation and get a chance for equity-free seed investment” worth up to N50 million. Officials stated that the initiative aims to support bold student-led businesses across Nigeria with funding, validation support and national visibility. According to the Ministry, the S-VCG will maintain a national innovation repository to ensure that “every qualified project remains visible, even when not selected for funding.”
The government confirmed that it is seeking strong solutions in STEMMS, which covers Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences. The program is open to students in all 36 states and the FCT. Every applicant who completes a submission will also receive a free one-year Google Gemini Pro license, along with premium learning resources designed to improve technical skills, digital literacy and entrepreneurial capacity.
The Ministry explained the eligibility rules, noting that applicants “must be students currently enrolled in a public or private Nigerian tertiary institution,” including universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. A minimum of 300 level or its equivalent is required for team leads, although “all students can be members of a team led by a 300 level and above student.” Students may apply individually or as a group, but they must submit a clear business plan outlining expenditure milestones and measurable KPIs.
Interested students are encouraged to focus on scalability, market relevance and solutions that can address national or global challenges. The Ministry added that applicants should prepare detailed proposals describing their innovation, target market and growth potential.
Eligible students are instructed to apply through the official portal link at https://svcg.education.gov.ng, where submissions are currently open for the ongoing cycle offering up to N50 million in milestone-based grant funding.
