BATNF awards N9m grant to 6 UNILORIN agripreneurs
By Mustafa Abubakar and Maryam Abdullahi
The University of Ilorin has hosted the final pitching session for Cohort 3 of its Graduate Agripreneur Programme (G.A.P.), with six outstanding participants emerging winners of a N9 million grant to support their agricbusiness ventures.
The event, held last Wednesday (April 15, 2026), at the 500 Level Classroom of the Faculty, featured nine finalists selected from a pool of qualified participants, who are all graduates of the Faculty.
Each contestant presented innovative agricbusiness ideas before an eight-member panel of judges drawn from the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) Graduate Agripreneurs Project team.
At the end of the exercise, the six successful participants announced as grant beneficiaries are Awoniyi Joseph, Sule Bisola, Abdulrafiu Akanbi, Oloba Sunday, Olabiyi Fehintola, and Ayilara Adeola.
The judges assessed the participants based on the viability of their business proposals, presentation skills, and practical field knowledge, leading to the selection of the six winners, who received N1.5 million each to develop and scale their enterprises.
The programme is designed to promote agricultural entrepreneurship among young graduates as part of broader efforts to tackle youth unemployment and strengthen food security in Nigeria.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole (SAN), had earlier approved the collaboration and conveyed his consent for the commencement of the Cohort 3 pitch through the BATNF Faculty of Agriculture Programme Coordinator, Prof. Foluke E. Sola-Ojo.
In his remarks, the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Israel Ogunlade, noted that previous editions of the programme had produced 10 successful agripreneurs who are now established agricultural business owners, describing the initiative as a source of pride for the Faculty and the University at large.
The Dean, who was represented by Prof. Foluke E. Sola-Ojo, added that the continued success of the programme reflects the institution’s commitment to innovation-driven enterprise development and practical capacity building for students and graduates.
He commended the participants for their creativity and resilience, urging them to utilise the grant effectively to build scalable and impactful agricultural enterprises.
Speaking during the session, the Acting Head of the Department of Agronomy, Dr. Kehinde O. Affinnih identified key challenges affecting practical agricultural training, stressing the need for improved access to secured farmland and reliable water supply to enhance crop production under the G.A.P. scheme.
The event was attended by Heads of Departments and other senior academics.
