The National Information Technology Development Agency is preparing to use technology and artificial intelligence to capture and analyse the contributions of young Nigerians at the 2026 National Youth Conference and turn them into policy proposals.
The Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the maiden National Youth Conference in Abuja, where he described Nigerian youths as a strategic asset to national development.
Inuwa said the technology-driven approach would give the government a structured channel for identifying the priorities of young Nigerians on issues including job creation, technology, education and economic development.
He noted that social media platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok have given young Nigerians powerful avenues to express their views. However, he said the sheer volume of online content makes it hard to tell genuine policy ideas apart from misinformation and other online noise.
According to him, the conference would help the government “filter the noise” and identify the issues and aspirations that need policy attention.
“It is a deliberate step to make sure your voices, your aspirations, your ideas are brought closer to the heart of national decision making,” Inuwa said.
“This conference is also for the administration to listen to what you want government to do in terms of the economy, job creation, technology, and creating a greater Nigeria.”
He said NITDA, working with the relevant ministry, would use technology to capture the contributions of participants, while AI would analyse the submissions and organise them into thematic areas.
The resulting analysis would then be presented to a committee to support its assessment of the issues raised and to inform the development of policy proposals.
Inuwa said technology would also allow young Nigerians who cannot attend the conference physically to take part remotely.
He explained that the use of AI and digital platforms would help the initiative gather views from a wider pool of young Nigerians and reduce the chances of voices being left out because of geographical or physical constraints.
“I want to assure you that all your discussions will be captured, and the technology will keep it, and we will present it to the committee, and government will use that to turn your aspirations into ideas, ideas into proposals, proposals into policies for government to build the policies you want,” he said.
The NITDA DG also pledged the agency’s continued involvement in the process, saying it would support the initiative “end to end” and ensure that the technology-driven engagement is carried out openly and transparently.
President Bola Tinubu announced the national youth conference exactly two years ago, during his Independence Day broadcast on October 1, 2024.
According to the President, the conference would address the diverse challenges and opportunities facing youths.
He said the 30-day Confab would bring young people from across the country together to jointly develop solutions to issues such as education, employment, innovation, security and social justice.
The President added that the conference would encourage meaningful dialogue and empower young people, who make up more than 60 per cent of the population, to take an active part in nation-building.
The National Youth Conference 2026 is structured as a multi-stage national engagement covering six broad areas: governance and political participation; entrepreneurship and job creation; climate action and energy transition; education and future-ready skills; technology and digital innovation; and security and social cohesion.
The initiative is designed to draw participation from young Nigerians across the country’s 360 federal constituencies, the six geopolitical zones and the diaspora.
The six geopolitical zones are scheduled to hold dedicated virtual sessions over 12 days, from October 5 to 17, 2026, with technical support from NITDA.
