Nigerian cleric Jerry Eze has disbursed over ₦1 billion in grants to 240 entrepreneurs across the country through the Jerry Eze Foundation, in what is being described as one of the largest faith-based business support initiatives in recent years.
According to organisers, each beneficiary received approximately ₦4 million to either expand an existing business or launch a new venture. The programme reportedly attracted more than 16,000 applications nationwide, highlighting the growing demand for financial support among small business owners.
The foundation said beneficiaries were drawn from sectors such as agriculture, technology, fashion, and small-scale manufacturing. Among the businesses that emerged as beneficiaries are Techspace Innovator, Glowitfarms & Allied Services, Jaydees Global Network, Coyemerald, Carisdesigns Services, Deyzee Food Nig Ltd, Kyubatech Enterprise, and FMD Agro Concept, among many others.
Many of the beneficiaries took to their social media pages to celebrate the milestone, describing the grant as a major boost to their operations and pledging to utilise the funds
However, the foundation did not release a full list of recipients, making it difficult to independently verify distribution across industries or regions. While organisers noted that applications came from across Nigeria, no detailed breakdown was provided to show how beneficiaries were spread across states or geopolitical zones.
To strengthen credibility, the selection process was said to have been overseen by KPMG. Despite this, the exact criteria used in choosing the 240 beneficiaries were not publicly disclosed, leaving questions around factors such as business viability, financial need, and scalability.
Speaking during the grant presentation, Eze emphasised grassroots empowerment as a pathway to economic growth, noting that small businesses remain key to reducing unemployment and driving innovation.
Analysts, however, say that for such large-scale private interventions, greater transparency, particularly around beneficiary identities, selection benchmarks, and post-funding monitoring, would help build public trust and enable proper impact assessment.
