The Federal Government of Nigeria has renewed its strategic partnership with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to train and empower 20 million young Nigerians with digital skills by 2030.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a meeting with Mohammed Fall, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria.
The meeting was also attended by the UNICEF Deputy Representative, Dr Rownak Khan and the Chief of the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere.
Demographic challenge and opportunity
Senator Shettima said that Nigeria’s rapidly growing population, currently estimated at over 230 million with an average age of 17, presents both a challenge and an opportunity.
He accepted to chair the board of Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU 9JA), a public-private-youth partnership platform.
GenU 9JA is constituted to help young Nigerians between the ages of 10 and 24 transition from learning to earning through digital connectivity.
“It is an honour for me to serve as the Chairman of Generation Unlimited (GenU 9JA).
“This platform provides a vista of opportunities for our young people. Beyond rhetoric, if we want to survive and thrive, we must empower our youth through digital means. That’s the only way forward,” the Vice President said.
The GenU 9JA initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes inclusive development, digital innovation, and youth empowerment as tools for national transformation.
Call for sustainable and equitable partnerships
VP Shettima stressed that Nigeria is not seeking handouts but sustainable, equitable partnerships.
“We are not looking for charity. We want a mutually beneficial relationship—one based on respect and shared interests. This is why I’m very passionate about the digital initiative.
“Beyond leadership in our enlightened self-interest, if we want to live in this part of the world, we have to involve them, we have to empower them,” he said.
The VP described the initiative as a beautiful programme that would enable the Nigerian youths trade their skills in the global market, saying “from earning to learning is a beautiful initiative and more than any other platform, the digital space gives us the easiest window to get the youth engaged effortlessly.
“They can trade their skills in the global market. I know of a lot of young Nigerians who are working for global firms from the comfort of their homes,” he added.
Earlier, UN Resident Coordinator, Fall, praised Nigeria’s leadership under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that the GenU platform is central to addressing youth unemployment, educational inequality, and digital exclusion.
“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, youth-focused initiatives, skills, digital access, and employment are critical. And GenU is helping to drive those priorities,” Fall said.
UNICEF’s commitment to youth empowerment
Also, UNICEF Deputy Representative, Dr. Khan, added that GenU 9JA is one of UNICEF’s most successful global youth empowerment programmes, with Nigeria showcased as a model.
“We’ve seen incredible results from Nigeria. Few countries globally have recorded the level of youth impact that GenU 9JA has achieved,” she said.
According to Khan, the programme is built on three pillars: digital connectivity, pathways from learning to earning, and youth engagement and empowerment, all designed to prepare Nigerian youth for today’s job market.
UNICEF Lagos Chief, Celine Lafoucriere, noted that since its launch in 2022, GenU 9JA has impacted over 10 million young people and secured 1,500 job linkages.
She emphasized the need to strengthen coordination among partners and align more closely with national policy to reach the target of training 20 million youth by 2030.
