The review opened with a two-day regional consultation in Kano, bringing together stakeholders from the North-West, North-East and North-Central geopolitical zones to examine youth employment challenges and propose changes to the national framework.

The consultation is intended to ensure that the revised plan reflects prevailing economic conditions, changing labour market trends and the evolving needs of young people across the country.

Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande said the original action plan covered the 2021–2024 period and was developed in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other development partners.

Represented at the event by the ministry’s Chief Youth Development Officer, Bakary Abayomi, the minister said the review would incorporate stakeholders’ recommendations to strengthen responses to youth unemployment and underemployment.

He identified four core pillars of the plan: employability, employment, entrepreneurship and equality of opportunities. These priorities are intended to equip young people with relevant skills, improve access to jobs, encourage business creation and promote equal economic opportunities.

Olawande stressed that consultations across different regions were necessary because economic and social conditions vary among states. He said these differences must be considered to ensure that the revised framework addresses the realities facing young Nigerians.

He also highlighted the need to remove obstacles restricting women’s participation in employment, particularly in Northern Nigeria, while ensuring that vulnerable groups can develop their abilities and contribute to economic growth.

UNICEF Adolescent Development Specialist Ngozi Izuora described young people as key contributors to innovation, development and economic transformation.

She noted that Nigeria’s expanding youth population offers considerable economic potential, but many young people continue to struggle with acquiring relevant skills, moving from education into employment and obtaining the capital needed to establish businesses.

Izuora called for particular attention to adolescent girls, young women, persons with disabilities, rural youths and young people who are not in employment, education or training.

She also urged stakeholders to account for emerging employment opportunities in artificial intelligence, digital work, the green economy and evolving business models when updating the national framework.

The UNICEF specialist further called for the identification of sectors and value chains capable of generating decent, productive and sustainable employment for young Nigerians by 2030.

According to her, contributions from the regional consultation would inform the Youth Engagement Strategy for NIYEAP and help shape the final document to be submitted to the Federal Government.

For young entrepreneurs and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), the review presents an opportunity to strengthen entrepreneurship as a pathway to job creation while identifying the skills, financing and business support needed to establish and expand sustainable ventures.

The revised action plan is expected to provide an updated framework for coordinating youth employment initiatives across Nigeria. Its effectiveness will depend on translating the recommendations into practical programmes, broader access to opportunities and sustainable employment outcomes for young people.

Source: MSME Africa