Any nation that wants to develop must see the youth as the driving force. Their commitment is indispensable to achieving sustainable economic, social, and political progress..
Over 65% of Nigeria’s population is made up of youth under the age of 30. This translates to one of the most youthful populations globally. So, any government that wants to succeed in moving Nigeria forward has no choice than to empower the youth and transform them into national assets.
Since its emergence in May , 2023, , the
President Bola Tinubu’s administration has prioritised youth empowerment as a core pillar of its agenda, aiming to equip young Nigerians for the global digital economy. The administration has rolled out more than twenty twenty youth – centred initiatives, including the highly successful Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) Student Loan Scheme. The interest – free loans have kept about 1.5 million children of the poor in tertiary institutions despite the prevailing economic realities. They received a total of N283 billion from the fund.
The government has adopted other initiatives to prioritise youth development as a central strategy for economic growth, national security, and sustainable innovation. These schemes cover digital skills, agriculture , healthcare, entrepreneurship, and the creative sector.
The most important ones include the
Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA). It is an ambitious national learning platform targeting 7 million youths with practical skills and digital empowerment, aiming to create over 5 million jobs.
The Youth Activities Dashboard is an innovation in transparency and delivery . This digital platform tracks 7,000+ youth programmes and projects across all Ministries , Departments and Agencies, (MDAs) for visibility and accountability.
Another programme known as
3MTT (3 Million Technical Talent) is one of Africa’s largest tech talent initiative aimed at training millions in software development, AI, and cybersecurity to meet local and global digital job demands.
There is also the Digital Literacy for All
The National Information Technology Development Agency ( (NITDA). The current administration hopes to
make 70% of Nigerians digitally literate by 2027. Through this programme, millions are having inclusive access to online learning.
Another important scheme is the Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme (LEEP) . It is a bold vision to generate 2.5 million jobs through digital nomad training, skills development, and entrepreneurship across all sectors of the economy
The health sector is not left out. The Nigeria Health Fellowship 774 youths programme aims to train and give one person from each LGA automatic employment to strengthen the health workforce and bridge rural healthcare gaps.
The Reimagining Hope Creative Residency
Empowerment is for the creative industry. It is directed at the young creative minds in the film, music, fashion, and tech industries through mentorship and structured funding support.
The NextGen Resilience Corps Youth mobilization is another beautiful initiative to tackle climate change, environmental sustainability, and local innovation. Tied to this is the CNG-Powered Tricycle Empowerment Scheme 2,000 eco-friendly tricycles distributed to young Nigerians under the Presidential CNG Initiative, creating green jobs and transport solutions.
In the agriculture sector, we have the Youth Agro Entrepreneurs Programme, YEIDEP. It is for foodpreneurs and young farmers, providing access to funding, training, and market access in agriculture and agro-allied value chains.
The National Youth Agricultural Scheme domiciled in Niger State has empowered 100,000 youth across farming value chains in collaboration with the Niger State Government.
There is the Ministry of Steel Development Youth Bootcamp
Training. It trains the youth in metallurgy, industrial welding, and mechanical design to bridge industrial skill gaps in the steel and construction sectors
The NDE Renewed Hope Employment Initiative has trained and resettled more than 33,000 youth with starter packs in vocational skills across Nigeria — focused on job creation and SME development.
The AfDB $100 Million Loan for Youth and Women-Led Enterprises targets over 38,000 youth-led businesses with capital and business support. It is projected to generate 161,000 direct and 1.4 million indirect jobs.
The SMEDAN Creative and Garment Studios is equipping young Nigerians in the creative economy and fashion industry with equipment, training, and workspace to start and scale businesses.
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Youth Entrepreneurship Fund has committed
₦30 billion to youth entrepreneurship in the Niger Delta region, with programmes for incubation, access to finance, and business acceleration.
There is also a programme for the National Youth Corps members. The
NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Programme is designed to equip corps members with free practical skills training in over vocational and entrepreneurial tracks during orientation camp and throughout the service year. The fields include: software development, AI and mobile app , development , fashion design, food processing, solar energy installation, agribusiness, photography, and more. The beneficiaries are entitled to to access business grants, startup kits, mentorship, and the NYSC-BOI ₦2 billion MSME loan facility.
Millions of Nigerian youth have taken advantage of these laudable schemes to empower themselves and millions more are free to benefit from them in order to equip themselves with skills critical for national development..
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Isah, former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), lives in Lagos
