Kestin Pondi Grant Expands to 80 Beneficiaries

Thirty additional entrepreneurs have received N10 million each under the Kestin Pondi Business Grant 2.0, completing the N300 million supplementary funding pledged earlier this month and expanding the programme’s reach from 50 to 80 beneficiaries.

RoundReports understands that the latest disbursement followed commitments made during the first phase on 9 March 2026 by Tare Godfrey Pondi, Michael Ifeanyi Anoka and Festus M Ochonogor.

The presentation ceremony was held at the MBB Consortium in Effurun, and featured a business seminar alongside a panel session led by beneficiaries from the 2025 cohort.

Speaking at the event, organising committee chairman Victor Isereke said the initiative reflected the long-term vision of the sponsor, Kestin Pondi, to drive sustainable enterprise development across the country. 

Isereke urged recipients to deploy the funds strategically to build scalable and socially impactful businesses.

Also addressing participants, Daisy Jaja, an administrator with Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, cautioned beneficiaries against misusing the grant.

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Jaja described the grant as capital meant for growth rather than consumption and encouraged recipients to work towards returning as mentors in future editions.

The chairman of the Ijaw Youth Council, Nicholas Igarama, alongside Goru Oghenekaro, echoed the call for discipline, saying that the programme’s success would ultimately be measured by the beneficiaries’ ability to build thriving enterprises and uplift others.

Several recipients described the grant as transformational, citing the difficulty of accessing comparable funding through commercial banks, while others pledged to justify the confidence reposed in them by the sponsors.

With all funds now disbursed, beneficiaries will proceed into a structured post-grant business development programme. 

The initiative, introduced by Pondi, provides lifetime mentorship from experienced business coaches aimed at ensuring long-term growth and sustainability.