Join our WhatsApp channel HERE for the latest Benue news and updates!
In a major boost to youth empowerment and small business growth in Benue State, the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) has announced the creation of a dedicated Business Fund targeted at supporting newly trained young entrepreneurs across the state.
The announcement came on Saturday, 29th November 2025, during the colourful grand finale of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s statewide vocational skills acquisition programme held at Aper Aku Stadium in Makurdi.
Over 5,580 youths drawn from all 23 local government areas of the state graduated from the intensive training programme, showcasing impressive skills in diverse trades including painting, cosmetology, Ankara fashion design, organic fertilizer production, makeup artistry, shoemaking, catering, and many others.
Speaking at the event, BIPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha CFA, described the graduating youths as “a significant emerging market” with the potential to drive grassroots economic growth if given the right support.
To turn that potential into reality, Dr. Asemakaha revealed that BIPC will immediately inject ₦1 million in seed capital to each of the seven pioneering graduating groups, totalling ₦7 million in direct grants to kick-start their businesses.
He urged the state government to fast-track business-friendly policies that will open larger markets to these young entrepreneurs while strengthening the overall SME ecosystem in Benue.
The BIPC boss emphasised the need for the state to move away from an over-reliance on theoretical education toward practical, business-oriented training that can absorb the state’s growing youth population and expand its GDP.
“Supporting these young entrepreneurs will not only create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, but will also tackle insecurity by addressing the root causes of idleness and economic frustration among our youths,” he stated.
Dr. Asemakaha commended Governor Hyacinth Alia for his unwavering commitment to youth empowerment and called for sustained investment in vocational and entrepreneurial programmes as the bedrock of Benue’s long-term economic transformation.
With tools in hand, certificates earned, and now seed money on the way, thousands of Benue youths are set to write a new chapter of self-reliance and economic contribution.
The message from Makurdi is clear: Benue is deliberately building a future where its young people are not job seekers, but job creators.
