The Federal Government has described the National Youth Data Bank (NYDB) as a central, secure and reliable platform for youth information to better understand Nigerian youths and target interventions effectively.
The Minister of Youth Development, Mr Ayodele Olawande, said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the inauguration of the bank.
According to him, youth information is currently scattered across institutions, programmes and databases, making it difficult to obtain a clear picture of Nigeria’s young population.
He said the data bank would provide information on youths’ locations, education, skills, employment status, businesses, needs and participation in national development, while answering critical questions about their number, skills, opportunities required and how programmes were improving their lives.
Olawande said reliable data would guide government decisions, improve programme design and ensure interventions reached young Nigerians who needed them most.
He said the initiative would also help identify youths with skills and connect them with employment, training, business support and other relevant opportunities.
The minister said young entrepreneurs with viable business ideas would be connected with appropriate support through partnerships between the Ministry of Youth Development and private-sector organisations.
He added that rural and informal-sector youths would also be captured, stressing that young Nigerians outside major cities should not be overlooked in development planning.
Olawande said the data bank would support the Ministry’s “one youth, two skills” initiative by identifying youths who require skills training, upgrading or additional development opportunities.
He called on government institutions, development partners, private-sector organisations, educational institutions and youth groups to support the successful implementation of the initiative.
Olawande also urged Nigerian youths to register and provide accurate information, stressing that their participation was essential to building a reliable national youth database.
He said the information provided must be accurate, protected and properly managed, adding that the data should not be used for political purposes.
The minister said the ministry would strengthen systems for protecting personal information, improving data quality and ensuring the safety of the data bank.
He said the objective was not merely to collect data, but to obtain accurate information, protect it and use it to improve the lives of Nigerian youths.
In a welcome address, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Maryam Keshinro, said the data bank would support evidence-based policymaking, effective targeting of programmes, monitoring and evaluation, and better coordination of youth development initiatives.
According to her, the platform would enable government, development partners, private-sector organisations and researchers to design interventions that respond to the realities of Nigerian youths.
Keshinro stressed that the success of the initiative would depend on accurate, regularly updated information and responsible management of personal data.
She called for strict adherence to appropriate data protection standards to ensure privacy, security and public confidence in the NYDB.
The permanent secretary urged ministries, departments and agencies, state and local governments, development partners, youth organisations and private-sector stakeholders to collaborate on the initiative.
She said the goal was to ensure that no young Nigerian was left behind because of inadequate information or poor targeting of government interventions.
Also, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Youth Development, Sen. Adeyemi Adaramodu, hailed the data bank as a remarkable accomplishment towards advancing a more responsive, inclusive and evidence-based approach to youth development in Nigeria.
Represented by Dr Ijeoma Chilean, Clerk of the Senate Committee, Adaramodu noted that the initiative would support effective legislation, policy formulation, resource allocation and the design of targeted interventions.
Adaramodu commended the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, POGMA Nigeria Limited, and other stakeholders for their commitment to the development and implementation of the initiative
The newsmen report that the initiative is designed as a secure national repository containing information on Nigerian youths, including education, skills, professional qualifications, employment, entrepreneurship, talents, training and development needs.
The initiative seeks to answer four key questions: who Nigerian youths are, where they are, what skills and talents they possess, and what aspirations, development needs and opportunities they have.
Its approach involves collecting, verifying, organising, analysing, understanding and acting on youth data to support policy formulation, planning, programme design and implementation.
The data bank will cover Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with identity verification and data validation processes intended to improve the reliability of information collected.
Its expected outcomes include improved youth development planning, better targeting of interventions, stronger programme coordination, greater visibility of youth skills and talents, and stronger connections to opportunities.
Ultimately, the initiative is intended to transform youth data into actionable intelligence for coordinated planning, effective interventions and improved understanding of emerging youth development needs.