Most people assume peacebuilding looks like a peace process.
A negotiating table. A dialogue session. A formal intervention.
Search has learned that in many parts of the world, the most powerful peacebuilding looks nothing like that.
Sometimes it looks like a hit TV show.
After decades of working in Nigeria, our teams have developed a deep understanding of what actually shifts narratives in communities where division runs deep. Not outside interventions. Not imported frameworks. Culture. Storytelling. Media that feels authentic because it is built by people who know the communities they’re trying to reach.
That’s why we created The Hustle, a reality television program set across three of Nigeria’s states most associated with insecurity and limited opportunity. Inspired by the format of Shark Tank, it centers young people ages 18 to 35 as entrepreneurs, leaders, and agents of change. Not victims. Not statistics. Architects of their own futures.
When the application period opened, more than 54,000 young Nigerians applied.
54,000 people who wanted to be seen differently.
30 were selected as finalists, more than half of them women, drawn from both rural and urban communities, reflecting a diversity of backgrounds and abilities. Their ideas range from poultry farming to tech, furniture design to hospitality, fashion to digital marketing.
What they share is simpler than that: the belief that they can change something.
Over two seasons, these young entrepreneurs will receive mentorship, training, access to expanded markets, and internships with Nigerian companies. They’ll develop their business ideas. They’ll pitch to a board. The most promising will receive funding to bring those ideas to life.
And throughout it all, they’ll learn how their work can contribute not just to their own success, but to a safer, healthier society.
The program broadcasts in both Hausa and English, reaching millions of viewers across television, radio, and digital platforms. It celebrates Hausa culture, challenges the harmful stereotypes that fuel division, and models what collaboration across social, ethnic, and religious lines actually looks like.
This is what Search has learned after 40 years of working at the intersection of conflict and community: narratives shape reality. When millions of people watch young Nigerians from conflict-affected states build businesses, lead communities, and choose cooperation over division, the story of what is possible begins to change.
That is peacebuilding, too.
It’s not just television. It’s transformation at scale.
54,000 young people raised their hands and said: we want to be part of something different.
Your support makes sure they get the chance.
Subscribe to our blog
Receive an email whenever a new blog post is published.
