UNICEF Empowers 9m Youth With Digital Skills

The United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF)’s Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU 9JA) Public-Private-Youth-Partnership (PPYP) Platform has empowered over nine million Nigerian youth through digital learning, skill development, and youth engagement initiatives, surpassing the three-year target of 7.5 million.

This milestone positions the initiative well on its journey to achieving its 2030 goal of connecting 20 million young people with opportunities for growth and impact.

CEO of Airtel Nigeria, Carl Cruz, at the UNICEF’s GenU 9JA/PPYP annual Steering Committee meeting, on Tuesday, in Lagos, emphasised the transformative potential of digital access, citing the ongoing UNICEF-Airtel Reimagine Education Program, a part of the GenU 9JA initiative.

“Airtel is proud to play a role in ensuring no young Nigerian is left behind in this digital age.

We are encouraged by the success recorded so far among the 1,260 schools connected through our partnership,” he said.

The committee reviewed progress across its three core pillars: Connectivity and Digital Learning, Workplace Readiness, and Youth Engagement. Key partners presented updates on their respective contributions, underlining how collaboration has driven success. So far, over 800,000 Nigerian youth have gained access to digital learning tools, including the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP), bridging educational gaps in underserved regions; in terms of workplace readiness, over one million youth have developed employability skills and connected with livelihood opportunities and more than 500,000 youth have participated in youth-led programmes, amplifying their role as changemakers within their communities.

The CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Somachi Chris-Asoluka, highlighted the impact of youth entrepreneurship, saying, “Young people are the engines of Africa’s economic transformation. Since 2015, the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme has empowered over 20,000 young entrepreneurs, creating more than 400,000 jobs. Our BeGreen Africa initiative will now support over 400 young entrepreneurs in Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, and South Africa, with green-focused training, mentorship, and seed capital to advance sustainable ventures.”

UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Cristian Munduate, reiterated the urgency for continued investment in youth, noting that, “The future of any nation lies in the hands of its children and youth. By providing skills, opportunities, and a platform for engagement, we are not only changing individual lives but also shaping a brighter future for Nigeria.”