•Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande
The federal government has launched the digital portal for the National Youth Conference 2025, signalling the formal commencement of the landmark national youth gathering.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, unveiled the official Youth Confab 2025 portal https://nationalyouthconfab.gov.ng for delegates’ registration, contributions, and real-time updates throughout the national process at a news conference in Abuja today.
The Confab has: the Next Gen Nigeria: Crafting Solutions, Owning the Future, as its theme, reports The Nation.
Speaking during the unveiling, the minister noted that with the launch of the official portal, the long-awaited youth Confab has commenced with the registration of delegates and virtual consultations.
The youth confab is a platform established by the federal government as a structured avenue for young people to contribute to national discussions and policy formulation in a way that ensures their ideas translate into action.
The Confab would brainstorm and propose workable solutions on how to tackle critical issues affecting youths, such as unemployment, political representation, education and healthcare, among others.
The launch of the official portal followed the inauguration of the planning committee for the Youth Confab by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The President had on March 10, 2025 officially inaugurated a 44-member Planning Committee for the National Youth Conference at the State House in Abuja.
Tinubu had first announced the planned 30-day Youth Confab during his Independence Day broadcast on October 1st, 2024, scheduled to hold in February 2025.
Speaking at the news conference today, Olawande emphasised that the youth gathering is not another talk shop but a genuine, participatory platform that empowers every young Nigerian to contribute to government decision-making, particularly on youth-centric issues.
He explained that the Confab would be executed through a multi-level, participatory process including Diaspora virtual engagements to ensure that young Nigerians abroad contribute meaningfully to this national process as well as consultations across all 360 Federal Constituencies, ensuring that every young Nigerian has the opportunity to be heard.
The Minister disclosed that there would be zonal consolidation meetings across the six geopolitical zones, where grassroots opinions would be harmonised.
The last lap of the Confab would be the National Conference in Abuja, where policy recommendations would be co-created and presented for consideration at the highest levels of government.
He maintained that under the visionary leadership of President Tinubu, the Youth Confab 2025 would be inclusive, non-partisan, and youth-led.
He said, “This is more than just a conference. It is a generational turning point, a national movement, and a call to action. It is a platform for us to listen, learn, and lead together.
“This conference will provide young Nigerians from every ward, community, state, and the diaspora the opportunity to unite, engage, and reshape the future of our nation.
“With over 70% of our population under the age of 35, it is clear that Nigeria’s destiny is directly linked to the creativity, energy, and aspirations of her youth.
“Now, more than ever, it is time to transform our collective frustrations into solutions, and our hopes into actionable policies,” he stated.
Olawande reaffirmed the commitment of the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to implement the outcome of the conference in line with the vision of the president.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Development, Olubunmi Olusanya who is the chairman of the planning committee, said Youth Confab is not just another event but a strategic platform designed to amplify the voices, dreams, and innovative solutions of young Nigerians from every corner of this nation.
“The portal we are launching today is more than just a website, it is the digital gateway to the confab’s success as it will facilitate seamless delegate registration, broad virtual consultations and serve as the primary hub for conference information and interactions.
“By unveiling this digital gateway. We are opening the door to nationwide participation, collaboration, and bold ideas that will shape the future of our country,” he stated.
