Government Statement on Rollout of NYOTA Mentorship Program

1. Following the successful conclusion of the nationwide disbursement of the first tranche of NYOTA Business Support startup capital to all beneficiaries, the government has now rolled out the mandatory NYOTA mentorship program across the country.

2. Over 5,500 mentors have been onboarded to handhold the beneficiaries during this early stage of their businesses through site visits, business guide talks, experience sharing moments, cross-peer mentorship and networking sessions to enable successful take off.

3. The mentors have been mapped to all beneficiaries, and mentorship sessions have been decentralised to the grassroots to increase contact and close monitoring of businesses. All beneficiaries of Business Support (84 per ward) in all the 1450 wards are earmarked to benefit from the mentorship programme that is mandatory for one to benefit from the second tranche of the Start-up capital.

4. The mentorship programme is expected to run till the end of this month, after which the beneficiaries will be invited for a second business classroom training for three days, for enhanced skilling and training that will include access to markets and linkages, both backwards and forward, in the MSME ecosystem.

5. The disbursement of the second and final tranche of the start-up capital is scheduled to take place by the end of April 2026, and only those beneficiaries who would have successfully concluded the ongoing mentorship programme will benefit.

6. It's important to note that the mentorship exercise is offered for FREE and coordinated by officers from the project in collaboration with contracted Business Development Skills (BDS) providers.