Foundation awards N3m to young agripreneur, other NYSC members

The BATN Foundation has awarded a N3 million grant to Olufemi Dominic Fabian, founder of DOHA Prime Venture (FishTrackPro), after he emerged as the overall winner of the 2026 Farmers for the Future (F4F) Programme.

Five other young agripreneurs also received grants for their businesses, which focus on strengthening food security, promoting entrepreneurship, and creating economic opportunities in Nigeria.

The programme, implemented in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) through its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Department (SAED), provides corps members with agribusiness training, mentorship and financial support to establish and expand sustainable agricultural businesses.

The cheques were presented to the winners in Abuja during the NYSC’s 2026 Batch C Pre-Orientation Workshop.

The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, presented the cheques and commended the foundation for its continued investment in youth empowerment through agriculture and entrepreneurship.

Fabian’s FishTrackPro is an agritech solution that helps fish farmers improve productivity through data-driven farm management and monitoring systems.

The second-place winners, Temitope Adewole, founder of Apem Soupmix, and Abdulwaheed Bala, founder of NutriSoy, received N2 million each. Apem Soupmix produces natural powdered soup mixes, while NutriSoy processes soybeans into value-added food products.

The third-place winners were Olanike Mayungbe of Nutririte Foods, an agricultural produce processing business; Iorember Iorsue of Unku Charles Maize Farm, a maize production enterprise; and Kingsley Udoeyen of Salwel Foods, which produces nutrition-focused food products from grains and legumes.

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According to the foundation, the winning businesses reflect innovation across Nigeria’s agricultural value chain, including agritech, aquaculture, food processing, crop production, and value addition.

The enterprises also seek to address challenges such as low agricultural productivity, poor nutrition, post-harvest losses, and limited market access.

Speaking at the event, Nafiu urged NYSC state coordinators and SAED officials to increase awareness of the Farmers for the Future Program among corps members.

He encouraged the officials to use SAED lectures to inform corps members about opportunities under the initiative and mobilize more participants for the 2027 edition.

The NYSC director-general also emphasized the importance of equipping young Nigerians with the skills and resources to pursue agriculture and entrepreneurship, noting their potential contribution to economic development.

The 2026 edition strengthened the partnership between the BATN Foundation and the NYSC to equip young Nigerians with the knowledge, resources, and support required to establish viable agribusinesses.

For seven years, the Farmers for the Future Programme has supported the identification, development, and growth of young agripreneurs across Nigeria.

Through training, mentorship, business development support, and grants, the initiative encourages corps members to explore agriculture as a viable path to entrepreneurship.

The foundation said beneficiaries of the program were contributing to job creation, higher agricultural productivity, and improved food security in communities across the country.

It reaffirmed its commitment to supporting youth-led agricultural enterprises through its partnership with the NYSC, with a focus on helping young entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses with long-term economic and social benefits.