Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The Federal Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have called for a more inclusive and market-driven youth employment strategy that will equip young Nigerians with relevant skills, decent jobs and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
The call came Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the Southern Zonal Consultative Meeting on the review and update of the Nigeria Youth Employment Action Plan (NIYEAP) 2025–2030.
The two-day consultation, organised by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in collaboration with development partners, including UNICEF, brought together government officials, development partners, private-sector stakeholders and young people from the South-west, South-east and South-south geopolitical zones.
The consultation is aimed at reviewing existing youth employment strategies and developing practical responses to emerging labour-market trends and the changing nature of work.
Representing the Minister of Youth Development, the Chief Youth Development Officer, Bakare Abayomi, said the review of NIYEAP was critical to strengthening Nigeria’s response to youth unemployment and underemployment.
He said the exercise provided an opportunity to assess progress, identify gaps and develop sustainable strategies capable of improving employment outcomes for young Nigerians.
According to him, addressing youth unemployment should not be left to government alone, stressing that effective implementation of the revised action plan would require stronger collaboration among the federal and state governments, private sector, employers, civil society organisations, development partners, training institutions and young people.
Abayomi identified the creative economy, technology and digital services, agriculture and agro-processing, manufacturing, maritime activities, oil and gas, tourism, construction and the broader services sector as areas with significant potential for creating jobs for young people in the Southern region.
He urged state governments and State Youth Employment Action Committees (SYEACs) to take greater ownership of the youth employment agenda.
He said the revised action plan must be coordinated, inclusive, evidence-based and responsive to realities at the state and local government levels.
Abayomi also acknowledged the contributions of development partners, including the International Labour Organisation (ILO), UNICEF and GIZ, to the review process.
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development said recommendations from the southern consultation would feed into the revised NIYEAP, with particular attention to ensuring that the concerns of young women, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups were reflected in the national youth employment framework.
Speaking on behalf of the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef, the Adolescent Development Specialist, Ngozi Izuora, said young Nigerians must be treated as strategic partners in developing policies that shape their economic future.
Izuora said many young people still faced significant barriers to acquiring market-relevant skills, transitioning from school to work and accessing capital to establish and grow businesses.
She noted that the challenges were particularly pronounced among adolescent girls, young women, youths with disabilities, rural youths and those not in employment, education or training.
She said the review of NIYEAP must deliberately address these inequalities and ensure that vulnerable groups had equitable opportunities to participate meaningfully in the economy.
According to her, UNICEF was urging stakeholders to ensure that the revised action plan adequately prepares young Nigerians for emerging opportunities in artificial intelligence, digital work, the green transition and evolving regional business models.
She also called for the identification of high-potential sectors and value chains capable of generating dignified, productive and sustainable employment opportunities between now and 2030.
Izuora stressed that the process must move beyond policy dialogue to concrete implementation, accountability and sustainable financing, particularly through stronger and better-coordinated State Youth Employment Action Committees.
“You are not passive beneficiaries of this process; you are our strategic partners,” she told the young participants, urging them to speak boldly, challenge existing approaches and contribute practical solutions to the development of the revised youth employment plan.