The Nigerian Government has reaffirmed its commitment to integrating eye health into youth development policies and programmes, emphasising that clear vision is a fundamental driver of education, productivity, innovation, and national competitiveness.
This commitment was highlighted at an event themed “Seeing the Future: Advancing Eye Health for Youth Development,” organised by the Nigerian Optometry Students Association, NOSA in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in Abuja.
The event brought together youth leaders, optometry professionals, policymakers and development partners to strengthen collaboration and advance youth-focused eye health initiatives.
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The Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, represented by the Director of Youth Mental Health and Psychosocial Affairs, Emmanuel Essien, noted that poor eyesight among young people often leads to frustration, anxiety, social withdrawal and reduced academic confidence.
He underscored the strong link between visual health and mental and psychosocial wellbeing.
The Minister stressed that the Ministry’s participation in the roundtable was purposeful rather than ceremonial, as its Department of Youth Health, Mental and Psychosocial Affairs remains committed to policy advocacy, sensitisation, partnerships and integrated programming that promote holistic youth development.
Highlighting that young people make up over 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population, the Minister emphasised that fully harnessing this demographic dividend requires ensuring that youth can see clearly both “physically and metaphorically”.
“Clear vision empowers clear ambition. Clear sight supports clear opportunity,” he stated.
The Minister urged participants to move beyond dialogue towards actionable commitments, practical recommendations and a clearly defined roadmap aligned with national youth health priorities and global best practices.
Speaking earlier, the President of NOSA, Mr Ayotunde Oke, described the meeting as a historic milestone and a strategic step towards positioning eye care as a vital pillar of national youth development.
He emphasised that the roundtable signalled a shift from symbolic partnerships to purposeful action to improve youth outcomes through accessible healthcare.
He further noted that millions of young Nigerians are affected by uncorrected refractive errors—conditions that significantly impair learning, skills acquisition and long-term productivity.
Many youths, he said, struggle academically or vocationally without realising that their challenges stem from correctable vision problems, a situation he described as a silent but serious developmental concern.
“Under the proposed partnership framework, NOSA will provide clinical expertise, professional training, and outreach capacity, while the Ministry will facilitate structured access to youth populations nationwide.
“The shared goal is to ensure that every young Nigerian—whether in informal education, skilled trades, creative industries, or technology—has the visual capacity needed to thrive,” he said.
The keynote address was delivered by Professor Tuwani Rasengane of the University of the Free State, South Africa, who advocated the integration of eye care into educational systems as a strategic pathway to strengthening youth development outcomes.