csrreporters 
The renewed commitment between the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) represents a strategic boost to Nigeria’s youth entrepreneurship ecosystem and a positive signal for inclusive economic growth. By strengthening their partnership, both institutions are aligning public-sector resources with skills development, enterprise support, and access to finance key pillars for sustainable job creation among young Nigerians.
According to NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, the collaboration directly reinforces the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, which has empowered thousands of corps members to transition from job seekers to business owners. With SMEDAN’s technical support and enterprise development interventions, these youth-led businesses are contributing meaningfully to GDP growth while expanding Nigeria’s SME base across multiple value chains. Nafiu also underscored NYSC’s plans to deepen linkages with funding institutions, addressing one of the most critical barriers to youth entrepreneurship: access to affordable finance.
From a corporate social responsibility (CSR) and development perspective, SMEDAN’s role goes beyond training to include entrepreneurship advocacy, financial literacy, and facilitation of funding opportunities. SMEDAN Director-General, Dr Charles Odii, emphasized the need to review the existing Memorandum of Understanding to improve outcomes and proposed the establishment of a dedicated NYSC Community Development Service (CDS) group focused on promoting SMEDAN programmes. This approach reflects a long-term, impact-driven strategy one that integrates youth empowerment, enterprise sustainability, and national development goals, while positioning entrepreneurship as a viable pathway for post-service economic inclusion.