• Abuja steps up training and support for young people through entrepreneurship.
• Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) has already backed dozens of startups.
• Push aligns with federal strategy as Nigeria faces informal, low-paid youth jobs.

Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is ramping up efforts to train and empower young people through programs focused on entrepreneurship skills. Local media reported on September 14 that Ruqayya Wamakko, acting executive secretary of the FCT Primary Health Care Board, called for stronger support for youth entrepreneurship initiatives. She stressed the need to go beyond academics and equip young people with practical know-how.

The Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) leads the Youth Entrepreneurship Programme (YEP), which has already supported several cohorts of young business founders, including 58 beneficiaries in its second edition. The aim is to help job seekers transition into viable enterprises.

This focus on entrepreneurship comes as Nigeria’s overall unemployment rate was put at 5% in Q4 2023 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). In reality, informal and precarious work dominate, leaving many young people underemployed, poorly paid, and without protection. A recent study in Abuja, published in Journal Innovations in March 2025, confirmed that technical and vocational training significantly improves job prospects.

The federal government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda, has also placed youth empowerment at the heart of its strategy, with programs centered on digital skills, job creation, and entrepreneurship.

Initiatives such as YEP are designed to build youth self-reliance, encourage initiative, and foster micro-enterprises capable of creating jobs and adding value within communities. Abuja’s push forms part of a broader strategy to address a persistent gap: despite relatively low official unemployment figures, many Nigerian youths remain stuck in informal, low-productivity work. Practical training and public-private partnerships are seen as vital to bridging the divide between education and access to sustainable jobs, while enabling young people to play a stronger role in the local economy.