Abuja: The Federal Government has announced that the National Youth Confab scheduled for October will convene youth delegates from Nigeria’s 360 federal constituencies to explore solutions to national challenges. The Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Ayodele Olawande, shared this announcement during a news conference in Abuja concerning the national youth engagement preparations.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the two-week engagement will encompass a nationwide virtual consultation alongside a physical conference in Abuja, with participation from youth delegates representing the 360 federal constituencies. Additionally, the conference will include six delegates representing Nigerians in the diaspora, allowing young Nigerians both at home and abroad to engage in the discourse.
The confab aims to offer an inclusive platform for young Nigerians to share their experiences, express concerns, exchange ideas, and develop practical solutions to national challenges. The initiative, organized by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in collaboration with youth networks and other stakeholders, carries the theme ‘Next Gen Nigeria: Crafting Solutions, Owning the Future,’ emphasizing youth-led solutions and national development.
Olawande highlighted that the objective is to transition Nigerian youths from mere participation in national conversations to actively developing solutions and claiming ownership of the country’s future. With young Nigerians constituting over 70% of the nation’s population, their involvement is seen as crucial for national development and policymaking.
The confab is designed to be youth-led, with the Ministry of Youth Development providing guidance and coordination. The government aims to position young people at the center of the process, rather than having them participate in a predesigned program. The first week will feature a virtual consultation for Nigerians aged 18 to 35, both domestically and abroad, with a dedicated online portal for submissions of memoranda, ideas, and policy proposals.
These virtual consultations will help shape the agenda and outcomes of the physical conference in Abuja. The second week will see the National Youth Confab in Abuja, gathering delegates from the 360 federal constituencies and six diaspora representatives, featuring expert panels, policy laboratories, innovation showcases, networking sessions, and focused discussions on issues affecting young Nigerians.
Delegate selection will emphasize transparency, merit, grassroots representation, gender balance, and regional inclusion to ensure broad participation, with opportunities for persons with disabilities and marginalized groups. Discussions will focus on governance, leadership, political participation, economic transformation, entrepreneurship, job creation, education, skills for the future, technology, innovation, digital transformation, climate change, energy transition, and social harmony and security.
Contrary to previous conferences that produced speeches without action, this confab intends to focus on practical outcomes, establishing mechanisms for implementing recommendations and sustaining engagement between youths and decision-makers post-conference. Mechanisms include a Multi-Stakeholder Youth Confab Taskforce, Youth Confab Impact Index, sustained youth policy dialogues, and a youth-led monitoring and accountability framework.
Minister Olawande invited young Nigerians from all 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, and the diaspora to register, submit ideas, and propose workable solutions. Dr. Maryam Keshinro, Permanent Secretary of the ministry, emphasized that the conference provides a platform for young Nigerians to present ideas, innovations, creativity, and challenges, urging active participation in addressing issues vital to their future such as the economy, security, infrastructure, and national development.