August 18, 2025 – The Poverty Alleviation and Wealth Creation Agency, PAWECA, under the Ministry of Entrepreneurship Development, Yola, Adamawa State, has announced a shift in the scheduled needs assessment for candidates into the Technical Skills Acquisition Centre.

According to the agency, the new date for the exercise is Wednesday, 20th August, 2025.

In a statement signed by the Director General, Hon. Michael Zira, Ph.D, PAWECA explained that all successful candidates should take note of the change and prepare accordingly. The agency said the names of shortlisted candidates have already been posted in all Local Government Areas.

“The new date for the Needs Assessment is Wednesday, 20th August, 2025. Time is 8:00 AM, and the venue will be the Ten Technical Skills Acquisition Centers as well as designated Secondary Schools where examinations were previously written in Local Government Areas without Technical Centers,” the statement read.

The Director General added, “We regret any inconvenience caused by the change in date and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation.”

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO) have jointly announced the launch of the FCMB–FMO AgriTech Investment Readiness Programme 2025.

The initiative is designed to identify, support, and finance Nigeria’s most promising agritech startups and Small- to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), according to a statement issued by the partners.

Developed in collaboration with Heave Ventures, the programme seeks to improve access to capital and promote the scalability of innovative agritech businesses. The organisers explained that the approach combines financial support with structured learning to prepare startups for long-term investment opportunities.

A key feature of the programme is a competitive grant prize pool of N20 million, which will be awarded to ventures judged to be best positioned for investment. In addition, participants will benefit from digital learning and fundability scoring provided through Zimara, a proprietary platform that leverages alternative data and established benchmarks to identify bankable ventures.

Applications officially opened on August 8, 2025, and will close on September 12, 2025.

Following the application stage, the top 20 agritech startups will take part in an intensive six-week investment readiness programme. This will culminate in October 2025 with a pitch presentation before a panel of funders, offering participants the opportunity to secure further investment.

Divisional Head of Agribusiness & Non-Oil Exports at FCMB, Mr Kudzai Gumunyu, said the initiative was designed to go beyond offering traditional financial support.

“This programme reflects our mission to drive inclusive and sustainable growth through an African-rooted ecosystem that connects people, capital, and markets,” he explained. “This initiative will help nurture and prepare these startups for investment opportunities, enhancing their potential to contribute to the agritech landscape in Nigeria.”

The CEO of Heave Ventures, Abiodun Lawal, also stressed the potential long-term benefits of the programme.

He stated: “Scaling agribusiness innovation has the potential to revitalise entire value chains, from production to processing to export, creating millions of decent jobs, boosting foreign exchange earnings, and positioning Africa not merely as a consumer but as a vital global food and agricultural technology supplier.”

The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has launched a new Consultancy Apprenticeship Programme aimed at mentoring and equipping young female engineers with practical industry-ready skills.

In a statement, the chairman of the APWEN Lagos Chapter, Atinuke Owolabi, explained that the initiative known as SECAP goes beyond traditional mentorship.

She noted that the programme provides young women the rare opportunity to train with established consulting engineering firms, work on real-life projects, and gain true industry immersion that can lead directly to employment opportunities.

She said, “We are proud to announce that 200 young female engineers have already registered for this programme. That means we are not only mentoring but directly empowering 200 young women to enter and thrive in the consulting engineering workforce. This builds on our recent successes. Just last month, Dangote Group gave full employment to over 20 of our young engineers through their Graduate Trainee Programme, a clear demonstration that APWEN Lagos is creating real and tangible career pathways for female engineers.”

Owolabi also acknowledged the support of the Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria during the launch. “Our gratitude goes to the President of ACEN, Engr. Kam-Selem Bukar, for co-hosting this launch and delivering today’s keynote address. Your leadership and commitment to gender inclusion in engineering are not just commendable. They are transformative. We also thank our mentor, one of the six founding members of APWEN and the MD of ACEN, Funmi Kadri FNSE, for accepting us and opening your doors to us.”

Meanwhile, engineer Funmilayo Kadri emphasised the importance of mentorship in building lasting careers. She explained that a strong career foundation is often formed through shared experience, proper guidance, and encouragement.

She said, “To our young engineers, you’re stepping into a field that is dynamic, challenging, and incredibly rewarding. You will face obstacles, yes, but you will also discover opportunities you never imagined. The mentors you’ll meet here are not just here to advise you; they’re here to walk with you, to encourage you, and sometimes to challenge you to think bigger than you thought possible.”

“And to our mentors, thank you for saying yes to investing your time and wisdom. The impact you make here will ripple far beyond what we see today. I’m excited because I know this is not just a programme. It’s the beginning of a movement, a community of women in consulting engineering who lift each other up and open doors for those coming after them.”

August 18, 2025 – The Abia State Creatives Talent Hunt 2025 has officially extended its registration deadline to 18 September 2025. The earlier deadline was set for 18 August 2025, but organisers say the move is to give more young people the chance to showcase their creativity.

In a statement released by the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, the organisers said, “Your brilliance has blown us away and we’re not done yet! To accommodate even more creativity, the Abia State Creatives Talent Hunt 2025 registration has been extended.”

The competition is open to participants across all 17 LGAs of Abia State and focuses on groundbreaking work in arts and crafts, waste-to-art and upcycled works, heritage crafts, cultural artifacts, tourism products, digital innovations with physical outputs, and everyday creations solving real problems.

Top 10 will win:
i. Cash Prizes
ii. Media Spotlight
iii. Mentorship

Eligibility requirements:
1. Must be an Abian
2. Aged 18 – 35
3. Must be working with your hands to turn ordinary materials into extraordinary creations

The organisers clarified that the programme will not accept submissions from performing artists such as music, dance, or drama. The official registration portal remains this Link.

The Federal Government has launched the Basic Education Transformation Agenda (BETA), a comprehensive reform package designed to boost school enrollment and improve learning outcomes nationwide.

Unveiling the initiative in Abuja at the weekend, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said BETA introduces Conditional Cash Transfers to mothers to encourage consistent school attendance.

“The initiative ties conditional cash transfers to mothers to encourage school attendance and introduces a Back2School Drive in partnership with the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, under which the government bears the full cost of enrollment during official handovers,” Alausa explained.

He said the programme targets chronic challenges in the education sector, including out-of-school children, weak technical training, poor infrastructure, outdated curricula, and low teacher capacity.

Alausa highlighted teacher retraining as central to the reforms, disclosing that five million youths will be trained within four years. According to him, 270 technical teachers have already been equipped with digital and trade-specific skills in Ibadan, while 6,000 senior secondary school teachers are currently undergoing training in artificial intelligence.

The minister noted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had approved N120bn for the advancement of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Starting from the 2025/2026 academic session, students in federal and state technical colleges will enjoy free tuition, feeding, boarding, uniforms, and protective gear, as well as a N22,500 monthly stipend.

“The training model will be 80 percent practical and 20 percent theoretical, with certified trainers and strong industry linkages through internships,” Alausa said.

He further disclosed that N80bn has been earmarked for the rehabilitation of unity schools, while 38 federal and state technical colleges are undergoing full modernisation.

To align higher education with manpower needs in health, energy, and technology, the government has introduced the STEMM Nigeria Agenda, covering Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medical Sciences. Under this agenda, a STEMM Up Grant of up to N50m will be available to support undergraduate-led innovations across universities.

On curriculum reform, Alausa announced that basic education content has been updated to reflect 21st-century demands, with a focus on critical thinking, digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and civic responsibility. “Civic education is now mainstreamed from basic to post-basic levels,” he said.

He also revealed increases in annual scholarship grants, stating that PhD students will now receive N750,000, Master’s students N600,000, and undergraduates N450,000, representing a 50 percent upward review.

On funding, Alausa gave an update on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, noting that N77bn has already been disbursed to 396,000 students across 210 institutions. He also announced the creation of a N10bn Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund and the release of N50bn in June 2025 for long-outstanding Earned Academic Allowances.

With respect to the Universal Basic Education Commission, Alausa said more state governments had been encouraged to provide matching funds to access intervention resources. “As of mid-2025, 27 states and the FCT had accessed N78.6bn, representing a 65 percent increase over previous years,” he said.

The minister also unveiled measures to protect vulnerable groups, including a national anti-bullying policy, expanded nutrition and school feeding programmes, health insurance for Almajiri children tied to enrollment, and girl-focused projects such as the Learning Under the Mango Initiative and the AGILE project.

On international partnerships, Alausa pointed to a €38m ICT development project funded by the French Development Agency across 10 Nigerian universities. The project aims to strengthen hybrid learning, digital infrastructure, and education data systems.

“The era of piecemeal responses to education is over. We are cleaning up the system, restoring standards, and preparing Nigerian children to compete and thrive globally,” the minister said.