NITDA Deploys Technology To Bridge Youth-government Policy Gap

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is set to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies to capture, analyse and organise ideas generated by young Nigerians at the National Youth Conference 2026, to feed the outcomes into the government’s policy process.

The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, disclosed this at the opening of the maiden National Youth Conference in Abuja, saying the technology-driven approach would provide a structured channel for government to understand the concerns, expectations and policy ideas of young Nigerians.

Inuwa said although social media platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok had provided young people with avenues to express their views, the sheer volume of online conversations could make it difficult to distinguish genuine policy concerns from misinformation and other forms of online content.

According to him, the conference would therefore help the government to “filter the noise” and identify the issues that matter to young Nigerians across different sectors of the economy.

“It is a deliberate step to make sure your voices, your aspirations, your ideas are brought closer to the heart of national decision-making. 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.

The NITDA DG explained that the Agency, in collaboration with the relevant ministry, would use technology to capture contributions from participants, while AI would be used to analyse and organise the submissions into thematic areas for consideration by the committee handling the conference outcomes.

He said the use of technology would also allow young Nigerians who could not attend the physical sessions to participate remotely, thereby widening the pool of views available to government.

Inuwa assured participants that their contributions would not end with discussions at the conference, saying the technology would create a record of the ideas and concerns raised and provide a basis for their consideration in the policy process.

“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.

He added that NITDA would support the process “end to end”, including the deployment of the technology required to capture and process contributions, while ensuring that the engagement was conducted openly and transparently.

The Federal Ministry of Youth Development said the National Youth Conference was designed to provide young Nigerians with a platform to articulate their concerns, present policy proposals and develop practical solutions to national challenges. The government has said the engagement would involve young people from the country’s 360 federal constituencies, as well as representatives of Nigerians in the diaspora.

The conference is structured around six broad areas, including 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 six geopolitical zones are expected to hold dedicated virtual sessions from October 5 to 17, 2026, with technical support from NITDA, before subsequent stages of the engagement.

The conference brought together the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande; the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier-General Olakunle Nafiu; National President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Akinteye Hafeez; representatives of state commissioners for youth development; academics and other stakeholders.

The deployment of AI for the engagement comes as NITDA continues to promote the use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in public-sector and economic development initiatives.

Meanwhile, the Agency has also been advancing programmes around responsible AI adoption, digital skills and Nigeria’s development of locally relevant capabilities.