BY JULIET EKWENUGO
Kaduna
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Youth Development, Barr. Gloria Ibrahim has pledged to champion the implementation of the State’s Demographic Dividend as part of efforts to promote youth empowerment, inclusion, and sustainable development in the state.
The pledge was made on Tuesday, October 29, 2025, when a coalition of youth groups under the Youth Advocacy Campaign on Accelerating Implementation of the Kaduna State Demographic Dividends Roadmap paid an advocacy visit to her office in Kaduna.
The meeting brought together representatives from leading youth organizations, including the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Technical Working Group on Strengthening Social Protection System, Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), Youth Assembly of Nigeria (YAN), National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), OpenGov Youth Innovation Hub, Lifelyne Creative Company, and the Society for Equitable Development Foundation (SED).
Supported by Civic Impact for Sustainable Development Foundation and the Lafiya Programme, the visit aimed to present the Commissioner with a letter of nomination and appointment as Kaduna State Demographic Dividends Champion and to seek her support for partnership in advancing the implementation of the roadmap.
Speaking during the meeting, Co-chair of the OGP TWG on Strengthening Social Protection System, Sumayya Abdullahi Hussaini, commended the Commissioner for her dedication to youth development and inclusion.
She explained that the advocacy team sought partnership with the ministry to raise public awareness on the Demographic Dividends Roadmap and facilitate its implementation across the state.
She further appealed to the ministry to serve as the Secretariat for the coordination mechanism of the roadmap and to lead the development of an implementation plan and monitoring and evaluation framework, with support from development partners.
In her remarks, the Commissioner welcomed the delegation and reaffirmed the Kaduna State Government’s commitment to empowering young people and promoting inclusive governance in line with the priorities of Governor Uba Sani’s administration.
She accepted all the advocacy requests and pledged to champion the implementation of the roadmap, describing it as a critical step towards harnessing the potential of Kaduna’s youthful population for socio-economic growth.
“The government recognizes that young people are central to Kaduna’s future. We are committed to supporting initiatives that will help unlock their potential and contribute to the state’s development,” she stated.
The meeting resolved to institutionalize the demographic dividend agenda within the state’s youth policies and budget processes and to collaborate with media organizations to raise public awareness and highlight achievements under the partnership.
The communiqué from the meeting was jointly signed by Sumayya Abdullahi Hussaini (OGP TWG on Social Protection System), Christopher Atsen (YALI Kaduna), Hassan John (Youth Assembly of Nigeria, Kaduna), Aaron Samiala Ayuba (Association of Students with Disability, KASU), Benjamin Sheyin (OpenGov Youth Innovation Hub), and Shim Kajang (Civic Impact for Sustainable Development Foundation).
