From Skills to Livelihoods: Young Nigerians Call for Action on Jobs and Economic Opportunities.

For 20-year-old girl Kiki John Okon, being young is not simply about preparing for the future. It is about having a voice in shaping the opportunities, policies, and communities that will define that future.
An undergraduate, adolescent volunteer, and Peace Ambassador partnering with UNICEF on adolescent peace initiatives, Kiki was among youth representatives participating in a two-day regional consultative meeting on the review of the Nigerian Youth Employment Action Plan (NIYEAP).

Held under the theme “From Skills to Livelihoods and Economic Opportunities,” the consultation brought together young people and members of State Youth Employment Action Committees (SAYEACs) from Nigeria’s Southern geopolitical zones to discuss the barriers young people face in transitioning from education and skills development into decent work, livelihoods, and economic independence.
The consultation is convened by UNICEF in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, with support from the German Cooperation/GIZ, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

For Kiki, meaningful youth participation means moving beyond speaking about young people to provide spaces where they can help shape the solutions.
“As young people, we understand the challenges affecting us because we live them every day. Being part of this consultation gives us the opportunity to share our experiences and contribute to solutions that can make employment and livelihood opportunities more accessible and meaningful to young people," she said.

Her journey as a youth volunteer has also shown her the importance of investing in adolescents early. Through collaborative efforts involving UNICEF and the Katsina State Government, Kiki has been part of initiatives that supported the reintegration of 50 teenage girls into their communities. The girls have since become increasingly engaged in adolescent peace advocacy and employability initiatives.

"When young people receive the right support, they can become powerful advocates for peace and positive change in their communities." We need more opportunities that help adolescents build confidence, skills, and pathways to a productive future,” she said.

 

From participation to influence, Faithful Ogini, a boy also 20 and an undergraduate, believes youth participation is about ensuring that policies reflect the realities of young people, including those who are often excluded from decision-making processes.
Faithful is an adolescent volunteer, U-Reporter, and youth development advocate who has engaged in initiatives focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly around access to health services for marginalized groups.

His experience as a U-Reporter has given her opportunities to learn about the issues affecting young people and to amplify youth perspectives.
“This consultation will strengthen my capacity as a U-Reporter and champion of youth policy development.” It is also broadening my understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially the importance of ensuring that young people from different backgrounds have a voice in policies that affect them.”
For Faith, employment cannot be discussed separately from inclusion.
Young people may possess skills and aspirations, she noted, but barriers related to social exclusion, disability, gender, location, and unequal access to services can determine who is ultimately able to translate those skills into livelihoods.
The consultation therefore provided a platform for young participants to bring these realities into discussions on the review of NIYEAP and to contribute ideas on how employment policies can become more responsive to the diverse circumstances of Nigeria's youth.

With emphasis on turning dialogue into action, Mrs. Ngozi Izuora-Songu, UNICEF Nigeria Adolescent Development Specialist, maintained that adolescents and young people must be central to efforts to address Nigeria's employment and economic challenges. 
“At UNICEF, we believe that young people are not merely the leaders of tomorrow, you are the drivers of change, innovation, and economic transformation today. Nigeria’s youth population represents the country’s greatest wealth," she said.
She stressed that policies and programmes must deliberately reach those who face the greatest barriers.

"Our strategies must intentionally safeguard and empower the most vulnerable among us, ensuring that adolescent girls, young women, and youth with disabilities are not overlooked but are granted equal opportunities in the economic sphere." 

For Izuora, the value of the consultation lies not only in identifying challenges but also in turning the voices gathered around the table into practical action.
“A brilliant plan without clear execution fails. We are not just here to map challenges; we are here to co-create solutions.” 

UNICEF continues to work with government and partners to help create pathways from skills to livelihoods across Nigeria, where young people continue to navigate the difficult transition from education and skills acquisition to meaningful employment and sustainable livelihoods. For many, having a skill is only the beginning. Access to finance, mentorship, markets, technology, networks, and inclusive employment opportunities can determine whether that skill becomes a livelihood.
The regional consultation provided an opportunity for young people and government stakeholders to examine these challenges together and contribute to the review of NIYEAP.

For Kiki, Faithful, and millions of youths, the importance of the Skills to Livelihoods and Economic Opportunities process is personal. It’s not just a simple youth Programme. They are volunteers, advocates, and young citizens bringing their experiences into a policy conversation that will shape how opportunities are created for their generation.
Their message is clear: young people want to be part of designing solutions, not simply recipients of them.

As the consultation moves from discussion towards recommendations and action, their voices underscore an important principle: when young people are given meaningful opportunities to participate, their lived experiences can help make policies more relevant, inclusive, and responsive, and for a generation seeking pathways from skills to livelihoods and economic opportunities, being heard is only the first step. The next step is to turn that voice into action.