Northwest States Adopt Regional Youth Agenda, Seek Coordinated Action on Development Challenges

By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

Stakeholders from across Northwest Nigeria have called for a coordinated regional approach to youth development, warning that persistent policy gaps, unemployment, insecurity and weak institutional support continue to undermine the potential of millions of young people in the region.

The call formed the thrust of discussions at the Northwest Youth Summit 2026 held in Kaduna, where government officials, youth leaders, civil society organisations, development partners, media professionals and policymakers gathered to chart a common framework for advancing youth development across the seven Northwest states.

The summit, convened by the Bridge Connect Africa Initiative under the Youth Leading Change Programme with support from the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund and in collaboration with the Kaduna State Ministry of Youth Development, marked the culmination of a series of Youth Policy Dialogues conducted across Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states.

Unlike conventional conferences, organisers said the summit was specifically designed to secure public commitments from state governments, validate state-level action plans and formally adopt a Northwest Regional Agenda for Youth Development that will guide coordinated action across the region.

The gathering also sought to consolidate outcomes from the seven state-level youth policy dialogues, strengthen accountability around youth development and promote stronger collaboration among governments, civil society organisations and young people.

Delivering the keynote address, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the North West Development Commission (NWDC), Professor Shehu Ma’aji, said young Nigerians had repeatedly demonstrated their capacity to drive governance reforms, innovation and community development, stressing that what they require is not motivation but institutional support.

“The youth of this country are no longer asking for permission. They are building, organising and leading,” he said.

According to him, the successful campaign for the Not Too Young To Run Act and the rapid growth of Nigeria’s startup ecosystem demonstrate the capacity of young people to influence national development when given opportunities.

Ma’aji, however, noted that Northwest Nigeria continues to face enormous development challenges, including high rates of out-of-school children, youth unemployment, insecurity, poverty and poor access to basic services.

“We must honestly acknowledge that the Northwest carries some of the heaviest development burdens in the country,” he said.

He identified insecurity, poor educational outcomes, particularly among girls, and unemployment levels above the national average as issues requiring urgent attention.

The NWDC chief argued that addressing these challenges demands stronger coordination among governments, development partners and young people themselves.

He urged state governments to move beyond declarations and protect budgetary allocations for youth development despite competing political and economic pressures.

“Many summits are easy to organise, but implementation is often difficult. This summit must produce more than goodwill messages,” he said, challenging participating states to leave with at least one concrete policy action.

Ma’aji further disclosed that the commission would align federal investments in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) with state institutions across the Northwest to ensure skills acquisition programmes reach communities most in need.

He maintained that the region’s future depends largely on whether its growing youth population is transformed into a demographic dividend rather than a burden.

“The Northwest is not a region in decline. It is a region in transition, standing on the threshold of transformation because of its young people,” he added.

Welcoming participants, Kaduna State Commissioner for Youth Development, Barrister Gloria Ibrahim, described the summit as a defining moment for the region, given its status as home to the country’s largest youth population.

According to her, Northwest Nigeria possesses enormous human capital that must be deliberately harnessed for regional and national development.

“Our region is blessed with great minds. What we need is how to harness these great minds for the benefit of the Northwest and the nation at large,” she said.

She noted that Kaduna State had recently reviewed its Youth Policy with active participation from young people, reflecting the state government’s commitment to inclusive governance.

Under Governor Uba Sani’s administration, she said, young people are engaged not as an afterthought but as deliberate partners in governance.

Ibrahim emphasised that effective youth development requires responsive institutions, sustained partnerships and implementation rather than policies that remain on paper.

Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Youth Development, Director of Education and Youth Development at the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Despan Kwardem, commended the summit as perhaps Nigeria’s first coordinated regional platform dedicated to youth development.

He observed that youth-focused interventions across the country often suffer from fragmentation, making it difficult to measure impact and aggregate evidence.

“This coordinated approach is one of the things that has been lacking in youth development in Nigeria,” he said.

Kwardem revealed that contributions made by young people during consultations on the review of the National Youth Policy had significantly shaped the emerging framework.

He particularly praised young people from the Northwest for proposing regional structures capable of cascading national policies to grassroots communities.

According to him, the recommendation influenced the ongoing review process and contributed to the expansion of the National Youth Policy framework from five to six pillars, with vulnerable youth now recognised as a standalone priority area.

The Federal Ministry official also highlighted ongoing efforts to review the National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security, stressing that collaboration between federal and state actors would be critical to its success.

Earlier, Executive Director of Bridge Connect Africa Initiative, Sani Muhammad, said the summit represented the culmination of extensive investments in youth leadership, civic engagement and policy advocacy across the Northwest.

He disclosed that under the Youth Leading Change Programme, 35 fellows were trained in civic engagement, policy advocacy and stakeholder coordination, while the capacities of 21 youth-led organisations were strengthened to engage in governance and accountability processes.

Muhammad said state-level youth policy dialogues conducted across the seven Northwest states had enabled government officials, civil society organisations and young people to assess policy realities, identify implementation gaps and develop practical pathways for action.

A major highlight of the summit was the launch of the Northwest Youth Policy Agenda, developed by the Bridge Connect Africa Initiative under the Youth Leading Change Programme (YLCP) with support from the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund.

The agenda, which emerged from extensive stakeholder consultations and state-level youth policy dialogues across the seven Northwest states, is expected to serve as a regional framework for coordinated action, accountability and sustained investment in youth development across the region.

According to Muhammad, the agenda reflects shared priorities, outlines implementation pathways and provides a foundation for stronger coordination among institutions and stakeholders committed to advancing youth development in Northwest Nigeria.

The summit also featured presentations on the outcomes of the seven state youth policy dialogues, a regional overview of youth development progress, civic action showcases highlighting youth-led innovations and a commitment validation session where stakeholders reviewed proposed actions for implementation.

Participants stressed the need for greater investments in youth skills development, entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, peacebuilding and governance participation.

Beyond policy discussions, the summit showcased young people as active contributors to governance, innovation and community development rather than merely beneficiaries of government programmes.

As stakeholders moved towards the formal endorsement of the Northwest Regional Agenda for Youth Development, many expressed optimism that the commitments made at the summit would translate into measurable actions capable of addressing some of the region’s most pressing challenges and unlocking opportunities for its rapidly growing youth population.