NGYouthSDGs: Mainstreaming Nigerian Youth in SDGs Implementation 

In commemoration of International Youth Day 2024, the Network of Youth  for Sustainable Initiative (NGYouthSDGs) also known as the Nigerian Youth SDGs Network, hosted a two-day convening between August 12-13 in Abuja, Nigeria, which sensitized young people on their crucial roles in fostering gender equality, climate action, education, decent work and active citizenship and celebrated young Nigerians’ taking action for the SDGs.

  

Young people have a crucial role to play in achieving inclusive and sustainable development, including the realization of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. In this vein, Nigerian youth have been at the cutting edge of efforts to achieve the SDGs in Nigeria through various initiatives, projects and social enterprises fostering social change, economic growth and innovation.

From climate action to peace campaigns and innovations aimed at improving food security and fighting hunger, young Nigerians continue to create innovative responses to crucial sustainable development challenges. Despite these inspiring stories, millions of other young Nigerians with equally great potential are being systematically excluded from attaining their full potential by the ever-deepening inequality levels occasioned by lack of access to quality education, entrepreneurship support and descent job opportunities.

This unfortunate state of affairs in Nigeria calls for collective action and partnerships between the youth, government, the private sector, civil society and academia towards not only the successful realization of the SDGs but also helping the country harness its demographic dividends and foster meaningful inclusion. More than ever, the challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change, call for intergenerational collaboration between youth and older generations to create a prosperous future for both present and future generations.

To this end, the Network of Youth for Sustainable Initiative (NGYouthSDGs) has since 2017 commemorated International Youth Day (IYD) to raise awareness of the importance of youth leadership for sustainable development and creating a holistic environment for youth development. For the Network, the 2024 IYD commemoration under the theme: “From Awareness to Action: Empowering Youth in Nigeria for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was a crucial opportunity to foster collective action towards attaining the SDGs in Nigeria. 

Held August 12-13 in Abuja, Nigeria, the NGYouthSDGs 2024 IYD event was in partnership with Oxfam in Nigeria and supported by the African Activists for Climate Justice, the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), United Nations in Nigeria, Amnesty International Nigeria, Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi) and Connected Development Initiative (CODE), while African Newspage was the official media partner. The event celebrated young Nigerians’ remarkable community projects targeted at the successful realization of the SDGs as well as sensitizing young people on their crucial roles in fostering gender equality, climate action, education, decent work and active citizenship.

The first day of the event themed: “Decent Work and Active Citizenship” featured idea-sharing, promoted best practices and fostered intergenerational dialogue between especially marginalized youth and youth stakeholders to foster collective action for the SDGs. The second day themed: “Gender and Climate” detailed discussions on intersectionality between gender and climate change as well as networking between young people and changemakers on the one hand, and between policymakers and industry leaders on the other hand, promoting alliances among local youth networks for sustainable development.

“No Conversation about Nigeria’s Future Without Young People” – Oxfam Chief

While delivering his welcome address, Mr John Makina, Country Director of Oxfam in Nigeria, said the NGYouthSDGs IYD 2024 commemorative event’s theme, i.e. “From Awareness to Action,” was befitting and timely as it sought to empower youth in Nigeria to take action for the SDGs while underscoring the pivotal role of young people in creating and shaping a prosperous world for future generations.

Mr Makina said since 70 percent of the population in Nigeria is under the age of 35 years, there should be no conversation about the future of the country without the involvement of young people. He further noted that achieving sustainable development requires harnessing the collective energy, creativity and passion of young people towards building a world where individuals have the opportunity to thrive and where economic prosperity supports environmental stewardship and social justice.

“Nigeria is facing many challenges threatening the future of young people, including climate change, which has rippled into other social inequalities such as food security, internal displacement of people, and an increase in rural-urban divide. Others doubt the phenomenon of climate change and its real effects but the delayed rainfall leading to poor harvest for farmers is real. The inflation in prices of foodstuffs due to scarcity caused by climate change is real. At Oxfam, we have hope in our youth’s energy, creativity and determination to change this situation.” 

“We’re Ready to Tackle Global Challenges Head-On” –  NGYouthSDGs Founder

In his opening remarks, Joshua Alade, Founder/Executive Director of the Network of Youth for Sustainable Initiative (NGYouthSDGs), said the Network was working towards mainstreaming youth participation in policymaking processes, including empowering them to hold those leadership positions in public and private sectors as well as international organizations accountable in the area of supporting youth leadership.

“We are not just aware of the challenges happening around the world. We are ready to tackle them head-on, whether it is climate change, unemployment, inequality or education access. We know that the road to 2030, and beyond is paved with our actions, our innovations, and our voices. Young Nigerians are taking up responsibilities. We are transforming communities and driving progress. We are going to be recognizing amazing young people who have been working actively in their communities for the SDGs,” Mr Alade said. 

To this end, the NGYouthSDGs Founder said the Network would be recognizing individuals who have been contributing actively to youth development in Nigeria as well as recognizing young Nigerian changemakers leading action for the SDGs in their communities through their 2024 Youth Spotlight Award. “Today is an opportunity to share ideas, build partnerships, and commit to actions that will lead to a lasting legacy. What more can we do? How can we, individually and collectively, push the boundaries of what is possible?” Mr Alade asks the young delegates.

“Young People Indispensable in Shaping a Sustainable Future” – Youth Minister

In his keynote address titled: Inspiring Intergenerational Collaboration for Inclusive Youth Development and Sustainable Future, the Honourable Minister of State for Youth Development, Mr Ayodele Olawande (represented) said the theme of the NGYouthSDGs 2024 IYD commemorative event was not just a call to celebrate young people taking action for the SDGs in Nigeria but a challenge to youth to transform aspirations into concrete actions, describing young people’s role as indispensable in shaping a sustainable and inclusive future.

Mr Olawande acknowledged the fact that young Nigerians were leading the charge, innovating, adapting, and pushing the boundaries towards the successful realization of the SDGs. In support of this, he said, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration had shown unprecedented commitment to youth empowerment and recognized the essential role of youth in national development; hence, it had taken bold and transformative steps to empower young Nigerians to lead and excel.

“President Tinubu’s strategic appointment of young Nigerians into key positions within the government underlines the belief that our youth are not just leaders of tomorrow but leaders of today. The appointments are opening new avenues for young people to influence policies and initiatives that have far-reaching impacts, proving that youthfulness is not a barrier, but a catalyst for national development,” he noted.

The youth minister, however, acknowledged Nigeria’s present economic challenges and noted that the country’s history has shown that new economic ventures were born in times of challenges that call for resilience, creativity, and innovation. “We faced similar challenges during the economic reforms of the 1980s, particularly with the banking reforms. Many doubted the wisdom of those reforms at that time yet it led to the emergence of new industries and opportunities.”

Mr Olawande reminded the gathering of young Nigerians that the economic reforms of the 1980s eventually gave rise to the wealthiest individuals in Nigeria today in the banking sector as the policies expanded the influence and reach of the Nigerian banking industry. “Today, we are at another crossroads, and the opportunities for our youth are vast. It is a time like this that demands more solutions providers, innovators who can turn challenges into opportunities, and entrepreneurs who can create new industries from the ground up.”

“We’re Empowering Youth to Influence Decision-making” – Delta Adviser on SDGs

In her goodwill message, Lady Diana Eyo-Enoette, Special Adviser to the Governor of Delta State on SDGs, said this year’s theme was a powerful reminder of the crucial importance of collective responsibility in transforming Nigeria’s future through active participation of youth in the country’s development process. This, she said, was very much aligned with her office’s commitment to supporting and enhancing the role of youth in driving sustainable development.

“We focus on expanding collaborative partnerships with the private sector and nonprofit sector actors to enhance capacity for addressing multifaceted challenges facing our youth through program development and implementation. We have launched new initiatives aimed at improving educational opportunities, vocational training, and entrepreneurial skills among young people through vigorous and rigorous evaluations to ensure resources are allocated efficiently and maximize the impact of the initiatives,” she said.

Lady Eyo-Enoette said her office was advocating for youth-centric policies to empower young people to influence decision-making processes at local, regional, and national levels through initiatives such as the Nigerian Youth Academy, which provides “a platform for youths with knowledge, skills, and mentorship to help them unlock their full potential as they become future leaders. There is also the skilled-up artisans’ initiative that aims to empower artisans with tech-enabled skills, training, licensing, and access to essential toolkits.”

“Why Youth Must be included in decision-making” – Germany Embassy

Mr Matthias Dold, Head of the Political Section at the German Embassy in Abuja, said in his goodwill message that a seismic change that will radically transform many African countries and reshape their relationship with the rest of the world is currently underway. This development, he said, would unleash the continent’s existing potential and provide the enabling environment for young people to make their voices heard and to actively participate in politics.

“The success of Davido and Burna Boy shows that young Nigerians can excel and hold the world in awe if they are given a chance. It is for this reason that the German government funds the NGYouthSDGS for their work on empowering youth civil societies to build stronger communities. You are rightfully demanding to be heard because a bulging youth population also holds challenges such as food security issues and jobs,” he said. 

Mr Dold said since half of Nigeria’s population is under 19 and nearly 70% of its population is under the age of 30, Nigerian youth’s majority population should be reflected in the country’s decision-making processes. “This needs to be reflected in politics. I want to encourage all young people to make their voices heard, be active and courageously contribute to a positive development by joining politics yourselves,” Mr Dold told the young Nigerians in attendance at the convening.

SDGs: From Awareness to Action

The NGYouthSDGs IYD 2024 convening fostered meaningful and diverse engagement among young people across Nigeria on the diverse challenges of young people as well as exploring growth opportunities and trust-building ahead of the Summit of the Future (SOTF), taking place September 22-23 in New York. As innovators and changemakers, young Nigerians have proven beyond reasonable doubt their ability to shape and reshape the implementation of the SDGs including tackling all roadblocks to the successful realization of Agenda 2030.

With just 5 years to 2030 and the fact that there is currently a relatively high-level of awareness about the SDGs across the globe, the need to go beyond awareness into action is more than ever before necessary, hence the urgency of the theme for the event. Moreover, partnerships between the youth, government, the private sector, civil society, and academia are more than ever crucial to the realization of the SDGs. No doubt, the theme of the 2024 IYD event underscored the significance of action. 

The climax of the two-day IYD 2024 convening was the NGYouthSDGs 2024 Youth Spotlight Award, which recognized and celebrated ten young changemakers who are driving positive action in their communities and advancing the SDGs. The emerging leaders recognized included Muhammad Usman; Pelemo Nyajo; Ruth Ki; Nature-Iboro Edet; David Ezeonyekwere; Yusuf Armayau; Morenikejimi Olaniran; Chinonso Okafor as well as Abubakar Sadiq Ahmad. Winners of the Oxfam Green Challenge were also awarded. They were Marvelous Onuoha, Theophilus Venn, Ojuoluwa Oluwatobilola.

Other individuals were also honoured at the event for their outstanding contributions to youth development in Nigeria, including Friday Odeh, Country Director, Accountability Lab Nigeria; Ronald Kayanja; Director of the United Nations Information Centre, Abuja, Nigeria; and Dr Mike David Terungwa; Founder and Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP). Others were Fatima Askira, Founder/Executive Director of Borno Women Development Initiative (BOWDI), and Raquel Daniel, Co-Founder, Bambini Africa.