The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called on governments and stakeholders to increase investment in Nigerian youths, saying the country’s young population is one of its greatest assets for accelerating sustainable development.
UNFPA Lagos Liaison Office Head, Abigail Msemburi, made the call in Lagos during the 2026 International Youth Day commemoration and the Fourth SMILE Youth Leadership Summit. She said investments in education, healthcare, innovation, entrepreneurship, digital inclusion and decent jobs were essential to unlocking the potential of young Nigerians.
Msemburi urged governments to involve young people in designing and evaluating policies that affect them, rather than treating them as mere beneficiaries of development programmes. She identified limited youth participation in policymaking as a major challenge and called for stronger collaboration between governments, development partners, civil society and the private sector.
She also encouraged young people to embrace continuous learning and purposeful leadership, stressing that effective leadership is defined by courage, integrity and service rather than age. She reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to supporting youth participation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
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