.jpg)
By Stella Odueme
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to deploy technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to capture, analyse and organise contributions from young Nigerians participating in the 2026 National Youth Conference.
Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the conference in Abuja, describing Nigerian youths as a strategic national asset and stressing the need to create a structured channel through which their concerns and aspirations could reach government.
According to Inuwa in a statement by a statement by the Director of Communication and Media Relations, Hadiza Umar, on Saturday that the initiative would help government identify genuine ideas and policy recommendations from the vast volume of conversations generated by young Nigerians across digital platforms.
He noted that although platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok had provided young people with powerful avenues for self-expression, the sheer volume of online content had made it increasingly difficult to distinguish constructive policy ideas from misinformation and other forms of online noise.
.jpg)
He said the technology-driven approach would provide a structured avenue for capturing the views of youths on critical issues including economic development, job creation, technology and national development.
“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.
Inuwa explained that NITDA, working with the relevant ministry, would deploy technology to capture contributions from participants, while AI would analyse and organise the submissions into thematic areas.
He said the outcome would be presented to a committee to support its understanding of the issues raised and guide the formulation of policy proposals.
The NITDA DG also disclosed that technology would enable remote participation, while AI tools would help capture views from a wider pool of young Nigerians, including those unable to attend the conference physically.
He assured participants that their contributions would be documented and tracked throughout the process, providing a pathway for their ideas to move from discussions to government policy.
“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.
Inuwa further pledged NITDA’s continued involvement in the initiative, assuring participants that the Agency would support the process “end to end” while promoting openness and transparency in the technology-enabled engagement.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, led other dignitaries at the opening ceremony.
Others included the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier-General Olakunle Nafiu; National President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Akinteye Hafeez; representatives of the academia; and representatives of Commissioners of Youth Development from the 36 states of the federation.
The National Youth Conference 2026 is structured around six broad thematic areas: 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 conference is expected to draw participation from young Nigerians across the country’s 360 federal constituencies, the six geopolitical zones and the diaspora.
The six geopolitical zones are scheduled to hold dedicated virtual sessions for 12 days from October 5 to 17, 2026, with NITDA providing technical support for the sessions.