PROJECT / 001
THE NEXT 10,000
THE QUESTION
How can young people move from ambition to actual economic opportunity?
THE RESPONSE
A multi-year entrepreneurship and skills initiative that pairs structured mentorship with early-stage capital for first-time founders, run in partnership with regional business associations.
THE NUMBERS
0
Participants
0
Businesses supported
0
Cities
0
Mentors
₦0M
Funding distributed
2022
Idea
The programme began as a single mentorship circle in Lagos, built on one question: what happens if encouragement is replaced with infrastructure.
2023
Pilot
200 participants across two cities tested a structured curriculum alongside micro-grants, with mentors drawn from existing small-business networks.
2024
Expansion
The model doubled into six additional cities, and the first cohort's businesses were tracked for survival and hiring, not just completion.
2025
National programme
A formal partnership with three regional development banks brought the programme to national scale across four countries.
2026
Phase IV
The current phase shifts focus from access to survival — extending mentorship to year three and four, when most small businesses fail.
Participants12,400
Businesses supported2,800
Cities18
Mentors420
Funding distributed184M
Programme Overview
2026 Impact Summary
Participant Guide
Project Timeline
Evaluation Report
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