In a bold move to combat youth unemployment, food insecurity, and economic exclusion, the Federal Government in partnership with the Youths Off The Street Initiative (YOTSI) has launched the $2.5 billion YEIDEP Global Donorship Drive and Fundraising Campaign.

The initiative is designed to finance the Cooperative Youth Farmers and Allied Entrepreneurs Programme (CYFAEP)—a sub-scheme of the Youth Economic Intervention and De-Radicalization Programme (YEIDEP)—which aims to empower young Nigerians and women through agriculture, entrepreneurship, and self-employment.

YEIDEP, a flagship youth empowerment initiative spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and YOTSI in collaboration with global donors and development partners, was conceived to address urgent socio-economic threats including chronic youth unemployment, household poverty, food insecurity, and the growing risk of youth radicalization.

Speaking at the launch event, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, Coordinator-General of YEIDEP, disclosed that the programme has already registered about six million youths and young women as members and plans to build a national network of twenty million cooperative youth farmers and agro-allied entrepreneurs between 2025 and 2027.

“This initiative will drastically reduce youth and women unemployment, boost food production, ensure food security, alleviate household poverty, and foster youth economic inclusion and de-radicalization,” Iyere said.

He emphasized that YEIDEP will provide beneficiaries with financial assistance, technical support, training, mentorship, and access to markets, thereby giving them the tools to succeed in agribusiness and related sectors.

Iyere further announced partnerships with eight commercial banks—Keystone Bank, Fidelity Bank, Lotus Bank, Union Bank, Wema Bank, Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, and Providus Bank—to handle the receipt, warehousing, and disbursement of funds.

“The launch of the YEIDEP Global Donorship Drive and Fundraising Campaign marks a significant step towards addressing Nigeria’s key problems of chronic youth unemployment, economic exclusion, food insecurity, and youth radicalization,” Iyere stated.

He called on global donors, development partners, federal and state governments, private corporations, industry leaders, and influential individuals to contribute generously to the campaign.

“YEIDEP’s goal is to empower twenty million young Nigerians through entrepreneurship and self-employment in agriculture, food and beverage, agro-allied industries, agritech, renewable energy, and more—fostering economic growth, political stability, and national security,” he said.

Iyere warned of the potential dangers if Nigeria’s youth crisis is not urgently addressed:
“Unless these key social and economic problems are drastically addressed, Nigeria remains a fragile country dangerously sitting on a keg of gunpowder, as the time bomb of youth unemployment ticks daily toward a disastrous explosion. YEIDEP must be embraced and supported by all Nigerians, beyond political interest and affiliation.”

The campaign marks one of the most ambitious youth-targeted economic interventions in recent years, signaling a shift toward grassroots-driven, donor-supported development in Nigeria.