The Federal Government has begun a nationwide registration drive for Nigerians aged 15 to 35, seeking to build a database that can help identify young people’s skills, needs and locations and connect them with opportunities in the public and private sectors.
The National Youth Data Bank, launched in Abuja by the Ministry of Youth Development, will cover young Nigerians in both the formal and informal sectors, including agriculture, sports, creative industries and technology.
Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande said reliable data would help the government improve the design and delivery of youth-focused programmes and close the information gap between the government and Nigeria’s large youth population.
The database is intended to answer basic questions about young Nigerians, including where they live, what skills they possess and what support they need, Olawande said.
He added that the programme was a continuing government initiative and not an electoral exercise.
“We want to get the formal and the informal youth to make sure that they are part of this,” Olawande said.
“We want to know the youth in agriculture, in sports, in creative tech and all that, so that even when we say some people need jobs, we know these people need skills,” he added.
POGMA Nigeria Ltd., the project’s technical partner, has established registration points in schools and plans to expand the exercise to local government areas and wards nationwide, said Managing Director and Chief Executive Oluyinka Akerele.
Akerele said the registration will target students in secondary schools, polytechnics, universities and colleges of education, as well as young people in rural communities and the informal economy.
“We have created cluster points in schools, polytechnics, universities and colleges of education,” Akerele said, describing those locations as the initial focus for young people in the formal sector.
Enumerators will also be deployed across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas to reach young people in hard-to-access communities, he said.
Akerele urged eligible Nigerians to register, saying participation would be necessary for the government to identify them and connect them with programmes and other benefits.
The registration is open to Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 35, in line with the Nigerian Youth Policy.
The database will be updated regularly, with younger Nigerians added once they reach the eligible age, Akerele said.
