President Bola Tinubu has launched the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA) to equip young Nigerians with the skills needed to compete globally. The academy will focus on three critical areas:
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Education and Skills Development: Providing world-class training in digital literacy, technical skills, entrepreneurship, and creative industries.
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Economic Empowerment: Offering financial support, mentorship, and resources to young entrepreneurs through initiatives like the Youth Investment Fund and the Presidential Initiative for Youth Enterprise Clusters.
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Leadership and Civic Engagement: Nurturing the next generation of leaders through training in governance, policy-making, and community development.
Tinubu emphasized that Nigeria’s young population, with a median age of 17, is an asset that can drive growth and development. The NiYA aims to address Nigeria’s low human capital index ranking, unemployment, and other barriers to progress. Within the next two years, the academy plans to train and empower millions of young Nigerians.
The Minister for Youth Development, Mr. Ayodele Olawande, explained that the initiative is designed to equip young Nigerians with marketable skills, while the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, congratulated beneficiaries of the N1 million start-up package presented to six members of NiYA representing the six geo-political zones of the country.