The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, says the administration of President Bola Tinubu has expanded opportunities for Nigerian youths through interventions in education, skills, entrepreneurship, technology and employment.

Mr Olawande ‌⁠stated this on Friday at the opening of the National Youth Confab 2026 in Abuja.

He said the federal government was committed to creating pathways that would enable young Nigerians to acquire skills, establish businesses, access employment and participate actively in national development.

The minister said the government recognised Nigerian youths as partners, innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders rather than merely beneficiaries of development.

According to him, the administration’s focus on youth development is aimed at creating an enabling environment where young Nigerians can convert their potential into sustainable opportunities.

He identified skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, employment, innovation, leadership, sports, creative industries, technology and civic engagement as key areas requiring sustained investment.

Mr Olawande said the challenges confronting youths, including unemployment, access to finance, education, digital inclusion and social protection, were interconnected and required coordinated action.

He said the Federal Ministry of Youth Development was working with government agencies, the private sector, development partners, civil society and youth-led organisations to expand opportunities for young Nigerians.

The minister, however, said the National Youth Confab should go beyond celebrating existing initiatives to identifying practical ways of improving youth-focused programmes.

He challenged participants to develop realistic recommendations, identify institutions responsible for implementation and propose measurable actions.

“The true measure of the success of this gathering will be what happens after we leave this venue,” he said.

Mr Olawande said the outcomes of the confab should translate into stronger programmes, improved coordination, greater access to opportunities and increased accountability in implementing youth-focused initiatives.

He also urged young Nigerians to take advantage of available opportunities while embracing responsibility, ethical conduct, tolerance, national unity and peaceful coexistence.

The minister said young people had a critical role to play in building bridges across ethnic, religious, regional and social differences.

Earlier, the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Maryam Kashinro, said meaningful youth inclusion in decision-making was essential to Nigeria’s development.

Ms Kashinro said with about 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population below 30 years, young Nigerians should be regarded as partners, innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders in national development.

She said the confab would deliberate on youth participation, leadership and governance, jobs and entrepreneurship, education and skills, climate action, digital rights, peacebuilding and national unity.

The permanent secretary said the ministry would document the outcomes of the confab and give them due consideration in advancing national youth development priorities.

The director-general, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, said Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other technologies would be deployed to capture and analyse contributions from participants.

Mr Abdullahi said the system would help categorise the views of young Nigerians into thematic areas for consideration in policy development.

In his remarks, the director-general of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Olakunle Nafiu, said the country’s large youth population represented both a major responsibility and an opportunity for national development.

Mr Nafiu urged young Nigerians to leverage their creativity and innovation to contribute to the country’s economic and social transformation.

(NAN)