It is two days to the much anticipated National Youth Conference (NYC) organised by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD), billed to commence on 1st November and end on Wednesday, 3rd November, 2021.
Unlike other conferences of its ilk, what sets this apart from is that it is largely private sector driven, with Nigeria’s development partners playing a crucial role. The conference with the theme: Energising The Youth For Development: Inclusiveness, Governance, Security & Employment, was conceptualised to harness the thoughts and views of a cross-section of the Nigerian Youth as a means of assessing the current situation with development issues concerning them, and forging strategies to address these issues.
With thematic areas such as Politics & Governance; Education and Youth Development; Peace, Unity and Security; Innovation & Technology; Soft power of Sports, Entertainment & Creatives, the 3-day conference will have in attendance 10 delegates each from the 36 States and FCT, with representatives of major youth groups across the country.
The conference, expected to be declared open by President Muhammadu Buhari is planned as a hybrid event – Physical and Virtual. Virtual to enable youth that cannot be physically present due to space constraints and other factors to join live via various social media platforms. Over 12,000 youth and counting, have registered to participate virtually, so far.
Amongst Speakers expected at the event are Nihinlola Fafore, Director of Public Relations, Huawei Technologies Company, Nigeria. She will be speaking on; Laying A Foundation for Identity, Confidence and Self-Belief – Investing in Youth Entrepreneurship and Empowerment. John Opubor, an Investment Banker/ Social Development Entrepreneur and Mujahid Daman Kubau, Entrepreneur/CEO Daman Meat Company will speak on; Politics, Policy and Tech – Changing The Narrative To Benefit Nigeria: The Way Forward in Wealth Creation, Economic Contribution, Distribution and Accountability.
Others include Ola Brown, Founder, Flying Doctors and Adejoke Lasisi, Founder & Creative Director Planet 3R. They will headline discussion on Literacy: Building Institutional Ecosystems and Getting Equipped for the Future – Skills in Finance, Technology, Enterprise Development and Trade. Speakers like Nasir Adhama, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Youth and Students Affairs, Makinde Araoye, Special Adviser to Ekiti Governor on Federal Matters amongst others, will herald discussions on other thematic areas.
Private sector players and development partners collaborating with the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to make the event a success include: Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bank of Industry (BOI), European Union (EU), Konga, Access Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Nestle, Halogen, and Suburban.
For those that haven’t registered to participate virtually, an innovation has been introduced to ensure no one is left out. An app specifically created for the conference has been launched. Android and IPhone users can search for the app: NyCON app on Apple Store and Play Store respectively and download to watch the three-day event, real-time.
It is barely two days to the epoch-making Conference and we are simply saying, #LetTheYouthDecide!
