Nigerian students running businesses or developing promising business ideas can now apply for the 2026 NANSInnovate entrepreneurship programme, an initiative by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) that offers funding, mentorship and networking opportunities.
The programme is open to students in recognised universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across Nigeria.
NANS National President, Akinteye Babatunde, announced the opening of applications in a statement issued on Monday.
According to the association, the programme is designed to identify student entrepreneurs with viable businesses or ideas and give them an opportunity to present their ventures before investors, business leaders and industry experts.
Afeez said the initiative was created to address the funding and opportunity gap facing many young entrepreneurs.
“Across our campuses are brilliant young Nigerians with ideas that can solve problems, create jobs and build successful businesses. Unfortunately, many of these ideas never go beyond the classroom because of limited opportunities and access to funding.”
He added, “NANSInnovate 2026 is our response to that challenge. We are providing a national platform where innovation will be rewarded, creativity will be encouraged and promising student entrepreneurs will receive the support they need to grow.”
Who can apply?
Applicants must:
– Be Nigerian citizens.
– Be currently enrolled in a recognised university, polytechnic or college of education.
– Be studying in any of Nigeria’s 36 states or the Federal Capital Territory.
– Have an existing business or a business idea they intend to develop.
– Possess a valid student identity card.
What documents are required?
Applicants must upload:
– A valid student ID card in JPG, PNG or PDF format.
– A business proposal in Microsoft Word (.docx) format.
The business proposal must:
– Not exceed 10 pages.
– Use Times New Roman, size 12 font.
– Have single-line spacing.
– Not exceed 5MB.
CAC or SMEDAN certificates can also be submitted by applicants who have them, although NANS said they are optional.
How to apply
Students interested in the NANSInnovate 2026 grant should visit the application portal at grants.nanshq.org.
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Applicants will first provide their personal and school information before entering details about their business.
They will then select the category that best describes their venture. The available categories are:
1. Production/Manufacturing
2. Trading/Merchandise
3. Services
4. Agriculture
Applicants must upload their student ID and business proposal before completing the application.
They will also be required to submit a 100-word pitch explaining what their business is about, why it matters and how they intend to use the funding.
After completing the application, applicants will receive a unique entry code.
NANS advised applicants to save or screenshot the code because it will be required to check the status of their application.
Is the NANSInnovate application free?
Yes.
NANS said the application is completely free and warned students not to make payments to anyone in connection with the programme.
The association said anyone demanding payment for entry should be regarded as a scam and reported.
What will successful applicants get?
NANS said the programme will run for one week and feature learning sessions, networking opportunities and mentorship.
Participants will have opportunities to interact with investors, industry leaders and fellow student entrepreneurs.
The programme will also include one-on-one mentorship and a national pitch competition.
At the end of the process, the top 20 finalists will compete for cash prizes worth millions of naira to support and expand their businesses.
Afeez urged eligible students to take advantage of the opportunity.
“At the end of the competition, the top 20 student entrepreneurs will go home with cash prizes worth millions of naira to support and expand their businesses.”
He added, “On behalf of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) National Headquarters, I invite every eligible student to register and be part of this historic initiative.”
“The next great Nigerian business could begin here, and the next successful entrepreneur could be you,” he added.
Application portal: grants.nanshq.org