Flutterwave, a payments technology firm focused on Africa, has teamed up with the Activate Success International Foundation (ASIF) to expand youth entrepreneurship, improve digital financial access, and support enterprise growth in Nigeria. The effort is built around the 2026 Youth Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme (YEEP), with both organisations aiming to widen economic chances for young Nigerians through training, guidance, and financial enablement.
Key takeaways
- Flutterwave and ASIF have announced a partnership centered on the 2026 Youth Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme (YEEP).
- ASIF has run YEEP for a decade, delivering entrepreneurship support through training, mentorship, and grants.
- In 2025, the programme provided more than ₦50 million in cash and equipment grants to selected young applicants.
- YEEP 2025 attracted over 2,000 participants, while related youth outreach—such as NYSC orientation camp activities—reached more than 30,000 young people nationwide.
- Flutterwave will serve as lead sponsor for YEEP 2026 and will incorporate its payments network, led by Send App, plus merchant and digital financial infrastructure.
- YEEP 2026 is planned for 18 June 2026 in Abuja, with additional engagement expected at NYSC orientation camps across Nigeria.
How the partnership is expected to work
The collaboration builds on ASIF’s experience in enterprise development through YEEP over the last 10 years. The programme is designed to connect young founders with practical support, including capacity-building sessions, mentorship, and funding that helps convert business ideas into operating ventures. For 2025, ASIF said it deployed more than ₦50 million in cash and equipment grants to carefully selected young Nigerians, who submitted proposals intended to support the creation of workable, scalable businesses.
ASIF also highlighted the scale of participation in its youth engagement model. YEEP 2025 recorded more than 2,000 participants, and the wider ecosystem of youth activities—such as activations during NYSC orientation camps—reached over 30,000 young people across Nigeria. The partnership with Flutterwave is intended to add a payments and financial infrastructure layer to these efforts, helping beneficiaries handle transactions and expand operations more confidently.
Flutterwave’s payment ecosystem and planned rollout
As the lead sponsor of YEEP 2026, Flutterwave will support the programme while embedding its payments platform capabilities into the initiative. The company’s approach will be anchored by Send App, its cross-border remittance product, along with merchant solutions and digital financial infrastructure. The goal is to equip participating youth with practical tools to receive funds from outside Nigeria, manage transactions, and build businesses designed for sustainability and growth.
Flutterwave founder and chief executive Olugbenga Agboola said Nigeria’s young population is a major asset, but that unlocking its potential depends on access to the right tools. He also referenced Flutterwave’s role in building the infrastructure that enables individuals and companies to transact, expand, and scale across borders. Agboola added that the partnership with ASIF is intended to deepen impact by helping entrepreneurs build sustainable ventures, while platforms like Send App enable participants to receive payments globally and link to opportunities beyond their immediate localities.
The company also said the partnership will expose Flutterwave’s payment solutions to young Nigerians beyond the core YEEP cohort. This includes corps members taking part in NYSC orientation programmes in Abuja and other states, where the initiative is expected to familiarise participants with digital payments and related capabilities.
ASIF’s focus on resourcing youth and next steps
Love Idoko-Uloko, founder and chief executive of Activate Success International Foundation, said the organisation’s view is that young people should not be “rescued” but rather supported with real opportunities. She pointed to YEEP’s consistent emphasis on funding, skills, and access as the foundation of its work. Idoko-Uloko said partnering with Flutterwave strengthens ASIF’s mission and broadens the reach of the support provided to entrepreneurs.
YEEP 2026 is scheduled to take place on 18 June 2026 in Abuja. Beyond that event, the partnership will extend into NYSC orientation camp engagements across the country. In these settings, thousands of corps members are expected to gain exposure to digital financial tools, including payment solutions, merchant services, and practical financial management capabilities.
The initiative is positioned as aligned with national priorities on financial inclusion and youth participation in the economy. Expanding access to digital financial tools, the organisations said, remains crucial in a country where a large share of activity takes place in informal markets, and where improving access can help raise productivity and encourage stronger links to formal economic systems.
Both organisations also plan to look at additional ways to connect programme beneficiaries to further enterprise support offerings. The intent is to strengthen pathways for continued business growth, helping entrepreneurs move beyond early-stage funding and training into longer-term development and scaling.
