By Seun Greeners
In building stronger national ownership of youth development, four years after its launch in 2021, Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU 9JA) - UNICEF’s flagship public-private-youth partnership - has been officially institutionalized under the Office of the Vice President.
At the annual GenU 9JA Steering Committee meeting held in Lagos, representatives from government, the private sector, development partners, and youth leaders celebrated the platform’s far-reaching impact on more than 11 million young Nigerians with special focus on girls and marginalized youth — while unveiling bold plans for its next phase.
Announcing the milestone, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Wafaa Saeed, said the institutionalization marks a “major step forward” in aligning GenU 9JA’s mission with Nigeria’s national youth priorities.
“With over 11 million young Nigerians impacted in four years, we are on track to achieve our goal of supporting 20 million youth in their transition from learning to earning by 2030. This step reflects the government’s strong commitment to creating opportunities for young people across the country,” Saeed said.
The initiative will now operate directly under the supervision of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) a move expected to fast-track youth employment, entrepreneurship, and digital inclusion across the country.
Rimamskeb Nuhu, Special Assistant to the President on Strategy and Policy (Workforce Development), the government sees GenU 9JA as a key driver of the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Digital Access and Livelihoods Initiative (DALI).
“The mission of GenU 9JA aligns with the Federal Government’s broader plan to expand digital skills, open employment pathways, and strengthen entrepreneurship opportunities for Nigeria’s youth,” he said.
Since its inception, GenU 9JA has evolved into one of Nigeria’s most ambitious youth empowerment initiatives, with programmes spanning digital learning, employability, and civic engagement in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
In 2025 alone, the platform expanded partnerships with major corporations including Airtel, MTN, IHS Towers, Unilever, Microsoft, Jobberman, CISCO, AfricaRe, and ATC Nigeria providing 255,000 youth with access to mobile data and e-learning resources.
Through the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA) platform, over 400,000 youth have gained access to training, jobs, and livelihoods, while the Future-X Campus Ambassadors Programme has equipped 20,000 young women with technical and digital skills and provided mentorships to more than 85,000 others.
Civic engagement has also surged, with 665,000 youth participating in social impact initiatives and over 300,000 mobilized for environmental action through the Green Rising campaign.
Somachi Chris-Asoluka, CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, reaffirmed the private sector’s role in youth transformation.
