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📢 ECOWAS YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMME (EYEP)

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Partner Organizations: AECID, ECOWAS, AUDA-NEPAD (African Union Development Agency), COYWA, FOR VON

Focus: Call for applications for young people aged 18 to 35 who already have an existing business.

Background

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), through its Centre for Youth and Sports Development (CDJS/ECOWAS), is implementing the ECOWAS Youth and Women's Entrepreneurship Programme (EYWEP) with the technical and financial support of AUDA-NEPAD.

The programme aims to promote the economic empowerment of young people through capacity building, technical support, mentoring, networking, access to business support services, and the development of sustainable entrepreneurship.

As part of its pilot phase, ECOWAS is inviting applications from young entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 who already have an existing business or an operational entrepreneurial activity and need targeted support to strengthen, consolidate, develop, or continue their production.

Eligible Countries

• Benin • Ivory Coast • Gambia • Ghana • Guinea-Bissau • Senegal • Sierra Leone

Purpose

The programme seeks to identify and support young entrepreneurs who are already engaged in an economic activity or operating an existing business. Successful applicants will receive support to strengthen their production, management, business structure, and growth.

Beneficiaries will have the opportunity to: • Consolidate their business • Improve production or service delivery • Strengthen entrepreneurial and financial management • Access mentorship, networking, and partnership opportunities • Improve visibility and market access • Increase resilience and growth potential

Who Can Apply?

Applicants must: • Be between 18 and 35 years old • Be nationals or residents of one of the seven pilot countries • Already own or operate an existing business, whether formal or informal • Be running a start-up or business in the structuring or growth stage • Need support to strengthen or expand their business

Eligible Sectors

• Pharmaceutical industry • Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) • Solar and Renewable Energy • Agrosilvopastoral activities and agricultural value chains

Awards

🥇 First Place: $15,000 🥈 Second Place: $10,000 🥉 Third Place: $5,000 🏆 Special Award for Best Regional Business Plan: $5,000

Eligibility Requirements

Applications must: • Be submitted by applicants aged 18 to 35 • Be from nationals and residents of one of the seven pilot countries • Be for an existing business or operational economic activity • Fall within one of the priority sectors • Be submitted before the deadline • Include a complete application package

Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed based on: • Relevance of the business • Level of business structure • Growth potential • Economic and financial viability • Need for support and networking • Production or service capacity • Socio-economic impact • Job creation potential • Motivation of the applicant • Ability to benefit from the coaching programme

Benefits

Successful applicants will receive: • Targeted training • Technical and managerial support • One-on-one mentoring • Business management support • Networking and visibility opportunities • Connections to partners and financing institutions • Support to strengthen and expand their business

Required Documents

Applicants must submit: • Updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) • Valid means of identification • Business or activity presentation • Simplified business plan or business model • Projected financial plan • Company registration documents (if applicable) • Any additional supporting documents

Important: Combine all documents into one PDF file.

Application Process

The selection process includes:

Reception and review of applications

Administrative verification

Technical evaluation

Shortlisting

Additional interviews or verification where necessary

Final selection

Admission into the support programme

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

How to Apply

Send your complete application to the email address for your country.

Email Subject: EYWEP Program Application – Existing Businesses

Benin: [email protected]

Ivory Coast: [email protected]

Gambia: [email protected]

Ghana: [email protected]

Guinea-Bissau: [email protected]

Senegal: [email protected]

Sierra Leone: [email protected]

Deadline

📅 16 July 2026 ⏰ 23:59 GMT

Applications received after the deadline or with incomplete documentation will not be considered.

Additional Information

• Participation is completely free. • Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. • The programme is designed to support young entrepreneurs who already have an existing business and need assistance to strengthen and grow their operations.

For enquiries, contact: [email protected]

Breaking News:

Finally, all the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Orire, Oyo have been rescued by our security agencies.

Thank God 😊

The NYSC uniform is getting a cultural upgrade! 🇳🇬✨

Word on the street is the government is looking to replace the classic khaki with locally made attires, and honestly?

The potential is massive.

Swipe to see how the fabricsmay look when brought to life on Corp Members

From the deep green adire/batik patterns to the vibrant yellow accents, this reimagined uniform blends tradition with that classic "obey the clarion call" structure.

Imagine rocking up to CDS or the orientation camp looking this fly. It’s giving identity, it’s supporting local textile industries, and it’s definitely a major upgrade for the lookbook. 👔👗

Oya, over to you guys:
👇 Are we loving this cultural shift, or do you still prefer the classic khaki look? Drop your thoughts below!

Historical World Cup for African teams. 🌍✊🏿

✅🇿🇦 South Africa
✅🇨🇻 Cape Verde
✅🇨🇮 Ivory Coast
✅🇲🇦 Morocco
✅🇸🇳 Senegal
✅🇬🇭 Ghana
✅🇪🇬 Egypt
✅🇨🇩 RD Congo
✅🇩🇿 Algeria
❌🇹🇳 Tunisia

9️⃣/🔟 teams have qualified to World Cup Round of 32

He was falsely accused of stealing ₦2.5 million without any proper investigation.
Na y dem beat am till he resemble Chinese man 🥹

Na when this guy open Opay app ..
Him go understand

𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐎𝐢𝐥: 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗣𝗗𝗙 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗲 @ https://lnkd.in/djT3CCNG

The global Base Oil Market is projected to grow from USD 40.29 billion in 2025 to USD 46.59 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 2.9%.

Growth is being driven by rising demand for high-performance lubricants, rapid industrialization, expanding automotive production, and increasing consumption of industrial lubricants across emerging economies.

🔹 Key Market Trends
• Growing adoption of premium and synthetic lubricants across automotive and industrial applications.
• Increasing demand for fuel-efficient and low-emission engine oils.
• Expansion of Group II and Group III base oil production capacities worldwide.

⚠️ Market Challenges
• Volatility in crude oil prices impacting production costs.
• Transition toward electric vehicles reducing long-term demand for conventional automotive lubricants.
• Stringent environmental regulations on refining operations and lubricant formulations.
• Intense competition among global refiners and lubricant manufacturers.

🔹 Market Trends & Innovations
• Group III base oils are projected to dominate the market due to superior thermal stability, low sulfur content, and high viscosity index.
• Advanced hydrocracking and isodewaxing technologies are improving base oil quality and production efficiency.
• Increasing shift from Group I oils toward higher-performance Group II and Group III formulations.

🔹 Regional Growth
• Asia Pacific is expected to remain the largest and fastest-growing regional market throughout the forecast period.
• Strong automotive production and rising vehicle ownership in China, India, Japan, and South Korea continue to drive demand.
• Expanding manufacturing, construction, and infrastructure activities support industrial lubricant consumption.

🔹 Leading Market Companies
• Chevron Corporation (US)
• Exxon Mobil Corporation (US)
• S-Oil Corporation (South Korea)
• Motiva Enterprises LLC (US)
• SK Enmove (South Korea)
• Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Saudi Arabia)
• ENEOS (Japan)
• Shandong Qingyuan Group Co., Ltd. (China)
• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (India)
• Shell (UK)
• Avista Oil Deutschland GmbH (Germany)
• Nynas AB (Sweden)
• Repsol (Spain)
• Ergon, Inc. (US)
• Calumet, Inc. (US)
• China Petrochemical Corporation (China)
• ADNOC (UAE)
• Phillips 66 Company (US)
• PETRONAS Lubricants International (Malaysia)
• ORLEN (Poland)
• GS Caltex Corporation (South Korea)
• H&R Group (Germany)
• PetroChina Company Limited (China)
• PT Pertamina (Persero) (Indonesia)
• FUCHS (Germany)
• Baker Hughes Company (US)

NIGERIA 🇳🇬 GEO-POLITICAL ZONE BILL 2026

[1] As from October 1 2026, Nigeria’s six geo-political zones will become official and constitutional organs of government. This means that there will be four tiers of administration in Nigeria - Federal, Zonal, State and Local governments

[2] Nigeria will have six geo-political zones, with each being made up of seven states. Our constitution will prohibit the creation of any more states after these 42

[3] As part of this restructure, we will abolish the federal allocation regime and replace it with resource control under which states will remain the federating units. Revenue distribution will be as follows - States: 50%; Federation account: 20%; Geo-political zones: 15%; National trust fund: 15%. We shall gradually migrate towards this with the aim of achieving our targeted goal by 2040

[4] Geo-political zones will be responsible for maintaining regional police forces to augment the activities of the Nigerian Police Force

[5] Each geo-political zone will be constitutionally obliged to generate, distribute and transmit electricity within its domain

[6] Every year, the chairman of the geo-political zone will rotate among the six governors within it. A chief executive will be appointed to manage what will be a civil service structure

[7] Ultimate authority for the governing of each geo-political zone rests with the committee of governors. There will also be committees of commissioners to deal with matters such as education, health, housing, transport, security, etc

[8] Each geo-political zone authority will be responsible for secondary specialist healthcare. They will build specialist hospitals in areas such as oncology, HIV/Aids, renal failure, dementia, reproductive health, dermatology, etc

[9] These will be the 42 states that make up the six geo-political zones:

South-South
[1] Bayelsa State - Yenagoa
[2] West Izon State - Patani
[3] Rivers State - Port Harcourt
[4] Cross River State - Calabar
[5] Akwa Ibom State - Uyo
[6] Edo State - Benin
[7] Delta State - Warri

Northeast
[1] Mambilla State - Gashaka
[2] Taraba State - Jalingo
[3] Adamawa State - Yola
[4] Borno State - Maiduguri
[5] Yobe State - Damaturu
[6] Bauchi State - Bauchi
[7] Gombe State - Gombe

Southeast
[1] Anioma State - Asaba
[2] Orashi State - Omoku
[3] Anambra State - Awka
[4] Imo State - Owerri
[5] Enugu State - Enugu
[6] Abia State - Umuahia
[7] Ebonyi State - Abakaliki

North-Central
[1] Abuja State - Abuja
[2] Gurara State - Kafanchan
[3] Benue State - Makurdi
[4] Plateau State - Jos
[5] Nasarawa State - Lafia
[6] Kogi State - Lokoja
[7] Niger State - Minna

Southwest
[1] Odo Oya State - Ilorin
[2] Oyo State - Ibadan
[3] Ogun State - Abeokuta
[4] Lagos State - Ikeja
[5] Ondo - Akure
[6] Ekiti - Ado-Ekiti
[7] Osun - Oshogbo

Northwest
[1] Sokoto State - Sokoto
[2] Kebbi State - Birnin Kebbi
[3] Kaduna State - Kaduna
[4] Katsina State - Katsina
[5] Kano State - Kano
[6] Jigawa State - Dutse
[7] Zamfara State - Gusua

[10] If any state is unable to meet its running costs, its geo-political zone is constitutionally obliged to step in and bail it out. If not, the federal government will declare a state of emergency in that state