A few weeks after transforming Lagos into a playground of creativity and culture, The Gathering on 100 is heading to its next destination — and this time, all roads lead to Aba, Abia State. The announcement has sparked excitement among members of the community, with the backdrop inspired by the city’s unmistakable energy, signalling another chapter in what is fast becoming one of Nigeria’s most exciting youth culture experiences. If Lagos served as proof of concept, Aba may be where the movement deepens its roots.
From April 22 to 26, The Gathering brought together young Nigerians from diverse backgrounds for 100 consecutive hours at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, creating a shared space where community, lifestyle, culture, and entrepreneurship converged. Creators, entrepreneurs, artists, dreamers, and everyday young people gathered under the banner of MTN’s “Live It 100” campaign, which encourages young Nigerians to embrace life fully, show up boldly, and pursue their ambitions without waiting for perfect circumstances.
The event’s appeal lay in its strategic youth-first structure, allowing members of its community, known as “Gatherers,” to curate the experiences they wanted to see. In Lagos, requests for experiences centred on ambition and opportunity led to the creation of skill acquisition sessions and a pitchathon, where eight startup firms received N45 million in seed funding. Requests for cultural experiences, fun, and entertainment inspired sip-and-paint sessions, rap battles, gaming tournaments, a tattoo parlour, and performances by some of Nigeria’s most talented DJs, all of which captured the pulse of youth culture.
Aba now has the same opportunity to shape its own experience as registration opens on The Gathering’s official website ahead of the event, scheduled to hold at Prime Event Centre, Osisioma, from 12:00 p.m. on June 14 until 6:00 a.m. on June 15. For many young Nigerians, experiences like The Gathering are becoming increasingly important. They offer more than entertainment; they create spaces where young people can connect, collaborate, and draw inspiration from others navigating similar journeys. As youth culture continues to influence conversations across business, technology, entertainment, and the arts globally, platforms that bring these communities together are becoming increasingly relevant.
The Aba edition will feature a high-stakes Pitchathon designed to spotlight and reward promising early-stage founders in the city, with a total prize pool of N5 million. The competition will award N2.5 million to the winning startup, N1.5 million to the first runner-up, and N1 million to the third-place winner, giving young entrepreneurs not just funding, but also a direct platform to validate their ideas before investors, consumers, and industry stakeholders.
At the Lagos edition, Hurpham Africa emerged as the overall winner with N15 million in funding support, followed by Coconoto Ltd with N10 million and Rava Send with N5 million. Five other startups — URI Social, Dulces Jams, Kindly Book, Africa Medical Marketplace, and MyFund — received N3 million each, alongside visibility and support within the MTN business ecosystem. Organisers say the goal is to deepen access to opportunities across Nigeria by taking The Gathering on 100 beyond Lagos into high-potential commercial hubs like Aba, where entrepreneurship continues to thrive.
