General News
NPC Seeks Increased Investment in Nigerian Youths to Drive National Development
The National Population Commission (NPC) has urged governments at all levels and development partners to make greater investments in Nigeria’s young population, describing the country’s youth as its greatest asset for achieving sustainable economic growth and national development.
Speaking to mark the 2026 World Population Day, NPC Chairman, Dr. Aminu Yusuf, said Nigeria’s demographic profile presents a unique opportunity that must be harnessed through deliberate investments in education, healthcare, skills development and job creation.
According to him, about 70 per cent of Nigeria’s estimated 238 million population is under the age of 30, providing the country with a vast pool of human capital capable of driving innovation, entrepreneurship, technological advancement and productivity.
He stressed that realizing the country’s demographic dividend would require strategic policies that empower young people to contribute meaningfully to the economy.
“Investing in young people is both a development imperative and a demographic imperative. If we want to harness the demographic dividend, we must ensure that young people are healthy, educated, skilled, productive and economically engaged,” Yusuf said.
The NPC chairman, however, noted that millions of Nigerian youths continue to face significant barriers, including unemployment, underemployment, poor access to quality education, gender inequality, inadequate healthcare services and limited economic opportunities.
He said young Nigerians aspire to quality education, decent employment, entrepreneurship opportunities and greater participation in decisions affecting their lives, adding that these expectations are legitimate and deserve urgent attention.
Yusuf warned that failure to adequately invest in the country’s growing youth population could worsen unemployment, insecurity and social instability.
“The same youthful population that can drive prosperity could become a source of social pressure if we fail to create opportunities for them,” he cautioned.
Also speaking, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in a message delivered by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, described Nigeria’s youthful population as one of its greatest strengths.
He noted that approximately 73 million Nigerians—representing 31.8 per cent of the population—are between the ages of 10 and 24.
According to Guterres, the aspirations, creativity and leadership potential of young Nigerians remain critical to the country’s future despite the challenges posed by insecurity, inequality, climate change, economic uncertainty and rapid technological change.
He called for greater investments in young people to enable them contribute fully to national development and build a more prosperous future.
World Population Day is observed annually on July 11 to draw global attention to population issues and promote policies that improve the well-being and opportunities of people, particularly young populations.
