By Abbas Nazil
The Federal Government has inaugurated a new national skills development initiative designed to provide jobs, training, and entrepreneurship opportunities for 20 million young Nigerians by 2030.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima made the announcement during the inaugural board meeting of Generation Unlimited Nigeria, also called GenU 9JA, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Shettima, who chairs the reactivated GenU Board, disclosed that at least 60 percent of the programme’s beneficiaries will be women.
He described Nigeria’s youthful population as its greatest asset, pointing out that in a world where many nations face rapidly ageing populations, the country’s large youth demographic offers a competitive advantage that must not be wasted.
According to him, Nigeria’s skills ecosystem is confronted with a “trilemma” which includes the exclusion of too many young people from opportunities, disconnection of training programmes from actual livelihoods, and inadequate infrastructure for hands-on learning.
He stressed that the country could no longer afford fragmented training interventions, adding that what was needed was systemic reform anchored on a sustainable framework.
At the centre of the new programme is the Digital Access and Livelihoods Initiative, a national talent pipeline designed to link foundational and work-readiness training directly to guaranteed jobs or entrepreneurial pathways.
Shettima explained that the initiative will bring together government, private sector leaders, development partners, and young people under a single umbrella, thereby attracting coordinated investment and ending duplication of efforts.
He further assured that all training provided under the programme will align with the National Skills Qualification Framework, ensuring that Nigerian youth gain not only employable skills but also globally recognised credentials.
In his words, the initiative should mark a turning point where the government stops treating youth unemployment as an inevitable crisis and begins to unlock the entrepreneurial and creative capital of its young population.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, reaffirmed the government’s vision to create jobs, bridge the skills gap, and empower young Nigerians through meaningful human capital development.
He maintained that the nation’s youth have the courage, talent, and creativity to thrive, provided they are given an enabling environment and the right support.
Special Assistant to the President on Strategy and Policy, Workforce Development, Rimamskeb Nuhu, highlighted three main challenges faced by the youth: foundational skills gaps, livelihood disconnection, and infrastructure deficit.
He noted that the Digital Access and Livelihoods Initiative will address these gaps by providing digital skills training in underserved communities and establishing Renewed Hope Digital Hubs to expand government efforts.
United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, praised the programme, calling Nigerian youth the most critical assets of both the nation and the African continent.
He urged all stakeholders to leverage their networks to drive large-scale impact through Generation Unlimited Nigeria, which he described as the biggest youth partnership platform in the country.
UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative and co-chair of GenU 9JA, Wafaa Saeed, announced the recognition of the Youth Agency Marketplace, known as YOMA, as Nigeria’s official youth opportunities aggregator.
She explained that YOMA is a one-stop digital platform connecting young Nigerians to training, innovation, volunteering, and economic opportunities.
She added that this development, coinciding with International Youth Day, reaffirms that young people are not merely beneficiaries but active drivers of development and change.
Global CEO of UNICEF Generation Unlimited, Kevin Frey, also commended Nigeria’s leadership in youth innovation, describing the country as one of the most dynamic globally and capable of reshaping youth ecosystems at scale.
Generation Unlimited Nigeria, inaugurated in 2021, is a Public-Private-Youth-Partnership platform targeting 20 million young people by 2030 to support their transition from learning to earning, active citizenship, and productive work.
Private sector partners including Microsoft, Airtel, IHS Towers, Unilever, CISCO, MTN, and Jobberman are working with the government and UNICEF to expand digital education, entrepreneurship, green jobs, and civic engagement for young Nigerians.
