UN: Investments in Youth Education, Health Vital for Demographic Dividends

By Ugo Aliogo

The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mr. Edward Kallon, has stated that strategic investments in youth education, health, security, employment, empowerment, effective civil participation would be vital for demographic dividends.

Kallon, who disclosed this yesterday in Lagos during the commemoration of International Youth Day as part of events to mark the 60th anniversary of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), noted that the quality of investments made in the youths would determine the trajectory of development and how the society is envisioned in many years to come.

He also noted that Nigeria youths are known globally as pacesetters, highly skilled, educated, innovative, and entrepreneurial.

The UN Chief revealed that Nigeria is one of the leading destinations for technology startup investments, adding that Fintech, e-commerce, and the digital economy are all driven by the youths.

“Consequently, this wonderful resource has already proven its potential. It is only a matter of fully realising it. One effort to do so was launched last month by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in partnership with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). The initiative called Generation Unlimited plans to reach 20 million young Nigerians aged 10 to 24 by 2030 with education, skills training, employment, and entrepreneurship. Generation Unlimited could unleash a massive wave of new job creators and small enterprises that will provide decent jobs for many others,” he posited.

Kallon further explained that the recently launched Jubilee Fellowship programme by the federal government and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is aimed at providing 20,000 highly skilled Nigerian youths with work placements in leading private and public sector organisations.

He hinted that the programme would be a launch-pad for many successful careers, and would throw a spotlight on the next generation of business leaders.

However, Kallon expressed displeasure over the lack of political and social inclusion for young people, adding that youths regularly assert that their voices are not taken into account, and that their needs are not understood and met, “and that their engagement and empowerment in various processes are still lacking.”

In his keynote address, the Oniru of Iruland, Oba Abdul Wasiu Lawal, commended the institute for refocusing the minds of the youths in the agro-allied value chain.

Lawal remarked that if the federal and state governments can invest in agriculture and housing, more jobs would be created, thereby addressing the unemployment gaps, and remove a lot of people from the poverty net.

Continuing, Kallon said: “Young Nigerians are already ideating and providing youth-led solutions to combat the global menace of plastic pollution and taking the lead on micro-tasking initiatives for climate change as well as environmental protection. This was evident through the Plastic and Green Challenges which generated close to 3,800 ideas. All that was required to surface these fantastic ideas was a forum and their eager participation.”