President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed that youth empowerment remains both a personal and strategic national priority.
To this end, he unveiled a coordinated suite of initiatives in digital skills, enterprise, and innovation. These programs aim to equip young Nigerians for transformative leadership and enhance their competitiveness on the global stage.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the launch of the second edition of the Nigeria Youth Academy (NiYA) Startup Grants and the unveiling of the NiYA Gig digital-work platform at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, President Tinubu affirmed that youth empowerment stands at the heart of Nigeria’s future and remains a defining pillar of his Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said; “From the earliest days of this administration, I made a firm decision that Nigeria’s youth will not stand on the margins of our national development. This commitment is not political; it is personal.”
President Tinubu highlighted reforms designed to expand opportunities for youth-led enterprises, including easing tax compliance for small businesses, incentivising digital and creative-economy founders, and building a pipeline of young global service providers through NiYA Academy, NiYA Startup, NiYA Jobs, and the newly launched NiYA Gigs.
He also appraised the Ministry of Youth Development for expanding NiYA’s reach following the success of its debut edition, which selected beneficiaries from more than 14,000 applicants nationwide.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun said the government is preparing young Nigerians to compete globally by investing in digital infrastructure, skills development, and creating a level playing field for innovation.
He said; “Nigeria’s youth are our demographic advantage. With proper preparation, young Africans will make up 25 percent of the world’s workforce by 2050,” he said, noting that expanded broadband, digital-skills training, and sector automation will allow youth to provide exportable services without leaving the country.”
Also, Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite Udoka said that the Tinubu-led administration is accelerating financial-sector reforms to ease access to credit, expand concessional loans, strengthen tax incentives, and scale digital infrastructure to support youth-led MSMEs.
“These initiatives are deliberately designed to stimulate entrepreneurship and deepen the creativity that defines the Nigerian spirit,” she said, explaining that strengthened financial-inclusion tools, e-commerce access, and accountability systems ensure resources reach their intended beneficiaries.
In a goodwill message, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, described Nigeria’s youthful, digitally fluent population as “the nation’s greatest asset and the engine of a diversified economy.”
“Our human capital, our talent, is our new oil,” he said, noting that over 70 percent of Nigeria’s 230 million citizens are under 18,” he said.
Abdullahi pledged NITDA’s continued support for the Ministry of Youth Development, highlighting longstanding collaboration on the National Digital Ecosystem Academy and talent-development platforms.
Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman emphasised that achieving President Tinubu’s vision of a $1 trillion economy hinges on unlocking the full potential of Nigeria’s youth.
Usman said ongoing reforms of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) are designed to convert the scheme into a capacity-building launchpad for future-ready careers, and commended NASENI and NITDA for supporting innovation-driven development.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande said the administration is building a comprehensive youth-empowerment ecosystem, from skills acquisition to enterprise creation and income generation.
Olawande announced grants of N1 million each for 200 youth-led startups and N500,000 each for 100 beneficiaries in the informal sector, describing the funds as “not loans, but fuel for your journey.”
Olawande also launched NiYA Gig, a national digital-work platform connecting young Nigerians to paid opportunities locally and globally, and highlighted the success of youth-support initiatives such as the Nigerian Youth Help Desk and the WhatsApp AI Chatbot, which has engaged over one million young Nigerians.
Speakers at the launch agreed that Nigeria’s economic future rests on the skills, creativity, and enterprise of its young population, noting that the administration is building a national empowerment framework designed to help the youths rise and thrive.
Lateefah Ibrahim