The National Population Commission (NPC) has urged governments at all levels and stakeholders to prioritise investments in Nigeria’s growing youth population, warning that the country’s demographic advantage could become a burden without sustained action on education, employment, healthcare and skills development.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja ahead of the 2026 World Population Day, NPC Chairman, Dr. Aminu Yusuf, said this year’s global theme, “Realising the hopes and aspirations of young people — today and for the future,” reflects the urgent need to move beyond population figures and focus on creating opportunities for young people.
According to him, Nigeria, with an estimated population of 238 million people, remains Africa’s most populous nation and one of the world’s youngest countries, with people aged between 15 and 29 accounting for about 30 per cent of the population.
Yusuf said the country’s future would depend not on the size of its population alone but on how effectively it invests in its young people.
He noted that although government programmes under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda are aimed at improving youth development, significant challenges remain.
The NPC chairman disclosed that youth unemployment remains around 33 per cent, while underemployment exceeds 20 per cent, with nearly 80 per cent of employed young Nigerians working in the informal sector due to a mismatch between education and labour market demands.
On healthcare, he said Nigeria’s Total Fertility Rate had declined from 5.3 to 4.8 children per woman, according to the latest Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, but adolescent fertility remains high at 15 per cent because of limited access to youth-friendly reproductive health services and other structural barriers.
Yusuf also expressed concern that Nigeria still accounts for nearly one-fifth of the global population of out-of-school children despite ongoing interventions, with rural communities and conflict-affected areas bearing the greatest burden.
He highlighted several government initiatives targeted at young people, including the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Programme, which has trained 30,000 young Nigerians across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in its first phase.
He also cited the rollout of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), expansion of tuition-free vocational training programmes, youth appointments in public institutions, and efforts to strengthen digital birth registration through the Commission’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system.
Despite these interventions, Yusuf said insecurity, poor infrastructure, the rising cost of living and implementation gaps continue to limit the impact of youth-focused programmes.
He called for the speedy review of the National Youth Policy and renewed his appeal for the conduct of a credible, technology-driven Population and Housing Census, describing accurate demographic data as essential for effective planning and equitable resource allocation.
According to him, more than 60 per cent of Nigerians are young people whose future depends on sound policies backed by reliable population data.
The NPC chairman further stressed that Nigeria has a unique opportunity to reap the benefits of its demographic dividend if young people are healthy, educated, skilled and economically productive.
He, however, noted that only seven states and the Federal Capital Territory have developed demographic dividend roadmaps, describing the pace of implementation across the country as slow.
Yusuf urged greater investment in human capital development and policies that empower young people to make informed life and reproductive choices, saying such measures are critical to accelerating economic growth and national development.
As part of activities marking the 2026 World Population Day, the Commission, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other development partners, would organise media engagements, youth advocacy programmes, public awareness campaigns and stakeholder consultations aimed at promoting youth development and evidence-based population planning across the country.
