Teaching Africa’s secondary school students to spot opportunities, build products, and pitch ideas — creating the next generation of African founders from the classroom up.
Africa is the world’s youngest continent, and its young people are among the most entrepreneurially minded on the planet. Yet 68% of youth-led businesses in Nigeria fail within their first three years — not for lack of ambition, but for lack of foundational business skills, digital capability, and access to networks and mentorship.
The DFA K-12 Digital Entrepreneurship track addresses this gap at the most critical moment: while students are still in secondary school. By embedding entrepreneurship education into the curriculum — aligned to Nigeria’s revised K-12 framework — DFA gives students the mindset, tools, and practical experience to start building before they leave school.
The Digital Entrepreneurship programme is structured across two progressive tracks: a foundation track from JSS2 introducing entrepreneurial thinking, and an advanced Young Founders track from SSS1 where students build real products and compete nationally.
The DFA Digital Entrepreneurship programme runs through a structured blend of in-school Business Studios, online learning, mentorship, and culminating in the national Young Founders Competition.
By completing the DFA Digital Entrepreneurship programme, students will be able to:
This programme serves secondary school students aged 12–18 across Nigeria and Africa, particularly those with business or creative ambitions. It is equally designed for school owners and principals looking to differentiate their school through entrepreneurship education, business studies and economics teachers seeking a modern, practical curriculum, and corporate sponsors and foundations wishing to invest in African youth entrepreneurship at scale.
“I started my school’s first business club after this programme. We built a food delivery app for our local area using Glide, and within three months had 40 paying customers. I never thought I could build something real at 16.”— Tunde A., SSS2 Student — Ibadan, Nigeria
The DFA Young Founders programme is delivered in partnership with leading entrepreneurship organisations, foundations, and government bodies committed to unlocking Africa’s youth enterprise potential.
Partner with DFA to launch a Young Founders programme in your school or state — and give your students the skills to build Africa’s next generation of digital businesses.