The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will deploy technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to capture, analyse and organise ideas generated by young Nigerians at the 2026 National Youth Conference.
The initiative is aimed at helping government identify key concerns and aspirations of Nigerian youths and translate them into policy proposals for national development.
The NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa disclosed this in Abuja while delivering a goodwill message at the opening ceremony of the maiden National Youth Conference.
Inuwa described Nigerian youths as a strategic asset to the country, saying the conference would provide a structured channel for young people to communicate their expectations, frustrations and ideas directly to government.
He said although social media platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok had provided avenues for youths to express themselves, the volume of online content often made it difficult to distinguish genuine aspirations and policy ideas from misinformation and other forms of online noise.
According to him, the conference would enable government to “filter the noise” and identify genuine signals from the conversations among young Nigerians.
He said: “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.”
The NITDA boss said the agency, in partnership with the relevant ministry, would use technology to capture contributions from participants, while AI would analyse and organise the submissions into thematic areas.
He explained that the resulting information would be presented to a committee to enhance its understanding of the issues raised and support the development of policy proposals.
Inuwa also said technology would facilitate remote participation, enabling young Nigerians who could not attend physically to contribute to the process.
He assured participants that their contributions would be captured, analysed and preserved to create a clear pathway for their ideas to move from the conference floor into 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.
Inuwa pledged NITDA’s continued involvement in the initiative, saying the agency would support the process “end to end” and ensure that the technology-driven engagement was conducted openly and transparently.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, led other dignitaries at the opening ceremony, including the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier-General Olakunle Nafiu; National President of NANS, Akinteye Hafeez; academics and representatives of Commissioners of Youth Development from the 36 states.
The National Youth Conference 2026 is structured around six broad 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 will hold dedicated virtual sessions for 12 days, from October 5 to 17, 2026, with technical support from NITDA.
