National Youth Fund established

The National Empowerment Fund (NEF) and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) this week signed a partnership agreement, establishing the National Youth Fund to expand financial and operational backing for youth-owned enterprises across South Africa. 

The joint initiative combines non-repayable NYDA grant funding with NEF loan instruments to create tailored capital structures for qualifying young entrepreneurs. The blended financing model is designed to assist emerging businesses that traditionally face hurdles due to limited collateral, short credit track records, or insufficient capital expenditure reserves. 

Alongside capital access, the National Youth Fund will provide wrapped business support services, including mentorship, compliance assistance, market linkage facilitation, and technical training. 

The partnership focuses on unlocking growth across key economic sectors, targeting youth-led operations in manufacturing, infrastructure, renewable energy, the green economy, digital industries, agriculture, and broader SME value chains.