The federal government has unveiled six key pillars to guide discussions and deliberations at the 2026 National Youth Confab, scheduled to hold in October.
The minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed this ysterday at a press conference heralding the National Youth Confab 2026 at the presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to the minister, the Confab, themed “Next Gen Nigeria: Crafting Solutions, Owning the Future,” is designed to provide an inclusive platform for young Nigerians to discuss national challenges, develop practical solutions, and contribute to policies that shape the country’s future.
Olawande listed the six pillars as Governance, Leadership and Political Participation; Economic Transformation, Entrepreneurship and Job Creation; Education and Skills for the Future; Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation; Climate Change and Energy Transition; and Social Harmony and Security.
He said the two-week engagement would combine a nationwide virtual consultation with a physical conference in Abuja.
During the first week, Nigerian youths aged 18 to 35, both at home and in the diaspora, will participate in the virtual consultation.
The ministry will also open a dedicated online portal to receive memoranda, ideas and policy proposals from young Nigerians.
Olawande said the contributions would help shape the agenda and deliberations of the physical conference.
He said the government wanted to hear from young entrepreneurs, students, farmers, technology innovators, young professionals, Nigerians living abroad, and young people who feel excluded or unheard.
The second week will feature the physical Confab in Abuja, bringing together one youth delegate from each of Nigeria’s 360 federal constituencies and six delegates representing Nigerians in the diaspora.
Relevant stakeholders and observers will also participate in the event.
The minister said delegate selection would be guided by transparency, merit, grassroots representation, gender balance, regional inclusion and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups.
Addressing concerns about political interference in the selection process, Olawande said politicians would not be allowed to determine who participates in the Confab.
He urged politicians to concentrate on their political activities, saying the youth engagement was intended to be a non-monetary process.
“Politicians should go and face politics,” he said, adding that the government had opened a portal through which young Nigerians could register.
The minister said the 360 physical delegates would be selected from those registering through the portal, stressing that he would not personally bring anyone to the Confab.
He also said the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was not interested in determining who would attend the event.
Olawande said the ministry wanted young Nigerians to participate based on their own merit and contributions rather than political or personal connections.
“You don’t need to know me before you get initiated anymore. You don’t need to be an in-law or whatever anybody before you can apply to it. Just go and do it, and we’ll get it,” he said.
The minister said the government was also determined to ensure that the outcome of the Confab would not end up as another document without implementation.
He said a task force would be established after the conference to collate the resolutions and divide them into areas to be handled by the executive, legislature and judiciary.
“We are not going back to documentation anymore,” Olawande said, stressing the government’s intention to move from documentation to implementation.
He said the government would seek appropriate executive action on recommendations within the executive’s jurisdiction, while the National Assembly would be expected to consider bills on relevant resolutions within its remit.
The judiciary, he added, would also consider recommendations regarding its responsibilities and determine which it could implement.
Olawande said an implementation framework would also be developed to take youth-focused initiatives beyond Abuja and into the subnational level.
According to him, youth development cannot be treated solely as a federal government responsibility because young Nigerians live across the states.
He said the framework would enable the committee established after the Confab to engage with subnational governments on implementation, particularly in human capital development.
The minister said a timeline would be established in November for the submission and follow-up of the outcomes.
He said the Confab would also feature expert panels, policy laboratories, innovation showcases, networking sessions and focused discussions around the six pillars.
The government, he added, would establish mechanisms, including a Multi-Stakeholder Youth Confab Taskforce, a Youth Confab Impact Index, sustained youth policy dialogues, and a youth-led monitoring and accountability framework to track commitments and measure progress after the conference.
Olawande urged young Nigerians across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory and the diaspora to participate actively by registering, submitting ideas, sharing experiences and proposing workable solutions.
He said the Confab represented an opportunity for young Nigerians to contribute to the country’s development and help shape policies affecting their future.
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