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ABUJA, Nigeria - President Bola Tinubu confirmed his administration’s commitment to equipping Nigerian youth with the necessary skills to compete successfully as essential contributors on the global stage.
He highlighted the sectors where the government aims to provide training for the youth, which include world-class digital literacy, technical skills, entrepreneurship, and creative industries, emphasizing that a nation’s success becomes tangible “when its children rest easy knowing their place in a rapidly changing world.”
During the official launch of the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA) in Abuja, the President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, pointed out that Nigeria, with its median age of 17 years, ranks among the youngest nations globally.
He indicated that this unique aspect poses both a challenge and an opportunity for Nigeria's goal of becoming the third-largest country in the world by 2050, with a significant portion of its population under 21.
According to Tinubu, NiYA would concentrate on three key areas: education and skills development, economic empowerment, and leadership and civic engagement.
He mentioned that this initiative addresses Nigeria's low human capital index ranking, unemployment issues, and other obstacles to national advancement, reassuring that within two years, the academy would “train and empower millions of young Nigerians.”
Stressing that the security of the nation’s human capital depends on establishing a robust and skills-focused learning environment, the President noted that his administration has also made notable progress in its human capital development agenda.
Earlier, Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, stated that the initiative aims to provide young Nigerians with valuable skills. He encouraged the youth to take advantage of this opportunity by saying, “It is a chance for every Nigerian youth to get involved, learn a skill, and take charge of the future.”
Additionally, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, congratulated six members of NiYA who received N1 million as a start-up package intended to assist them in implementing their self-employed programs as skilled youths across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Edun described NiYA as a significant and ambitious step towards fulfilling President Tinubu’s promise to empower young Nigerians.
He remarked that the project directly addresses the aspirations of over 60 million Nigerian youths aged 18 to 35, both within the country and in the Diaspora, who are eager for knowledge, skills, and opportunities.
