By Ishaka Mohammed
As a business owner in Nigeria, you can employ graduates to work for you for free, while each of them receives N150,000 from the European Union. Your role is to create a conducive environment for these young people to learn and grow over the next 12 months.
This is a marvellous opportunity created by the Federal Government of Nigeria, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) was launched on August 31, 2021, to address Nigeria’s unemployment challenges by connecting talented graduates with job placement opportunities in organisations across the country—offering experience and building skills.
In the first phase of the programme, 20,000 graduates under 30 years were shortlisted in 2022, but official reports indicate that many of them were not matched with organisations due to a scarcity of interested and qualified host organisations.
For those who were matched with organisations between 2022 and September 2025, each person was entitled to a monthly stipend of N100,000—now N150,000, effective from October 2025.
The portal is now open for NJFP 2.0. If you have an organisation registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), this programme will greatly benefit you by boosting your visibility, providing free labour, and helping some young people in your host community achieve financial success. Visit https://host.njfp.ng/registration/, complete the application and check your email regularly.
With a reasonable number of interested and qualified host organisations, NJFP 2.0 is expected to be more successful than the first phase of the programme.
As for Nigerians under 30 who graduated not earlier than 2022 and possess the NYSC discharged or exemption certificate, this might be worthwhile. The application link is https://portal.njfp.ng/registration/.
By the way, many of those who were shortlisted in 2022 were delisted in 2025 without being matched with organisations. Consequently, interested applicants are advised to explore other means of upskilling and generating income even after being shortlisted.