MTN Foundation ICT and Business Skills Training, Phase 8 2026

The MTN Foundation runs its ICT and Business Skills Training Programme as a recurring intake, and this is Phase 8. It combines technical training with the business side of running a venture, aimed at young Nigerians who intend to build something rather than only to add a certificate.

Who can apply

The programme is open to applicants from Nigeria, and it sets no minimum academic level, which means a school leaver and a graduate are judged on the same footing. There is an age ceiling of 35. The subject focus sits in business and management alongside the ICT training itself.

What participants receive

Beyond the training, the programme attaches money to performance. The top 100 participants will receive up to ₦1,000,000 in equipment grants, drawn from a ₦100,000,000 fund. Read that structure carefully: the grant is for equipment rather than cash for general use, and it goes to the strongest hundred rather than to everyone who completes the course. In practice this means the training itself is the guaranteed benefit and the grant is the prize on top of it.

Deadline

Applications will close on October 11, 2026. Because selection into the top hundred happens during the programme rather than at application, getting in early matters less than committing to the full course once admitted.

Before you apply

Decide in advance what equipment your venture would actually need, because that is what the grant funds. Applicants who can name the specific tools that would unlock their business, and explain why, are in a much stronger position than those who treat the grant as general capital. The age limit also means this is not a programme to defer to a later phase if you are close to it.