13/08/2026
Paper Presented By Ambassador Taiwo Ajayi,
Founder/Lead Strategist, Corpers Journey Advocacy Network (CJAN) At The International Youth Day Summit Nigeria 2026.
Topic: DIFFERENT CONTEXTS, COMMON ASPIRATIONS : MOVING YOUNG PEOPLE FROM VOTING NUMBERS TO PARTNERS IN GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT.
OPENING REMARKS
Distinguished guests, fellow speakers, youth leaders, development partners, representatives of civil society, and most importantly, young people across Nigeria and beyond, I am deeply honoured to be part of this International Youth Day Summit Nigeria 2026.
It is a privilege to join this important conversation at a time when the voices, ideas and participation of young people have never been more critical to the future of our communities, our nation and our world.
The theme of this summit, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” speaks directly to the realities of young people today.
Although we live in different communities, states and countries, and experience different economic, social and political circumstances, we share fundamental aspirations: the desire for dignity, opportunity, quality education, decent work, meaningful participation, innovation and a sustainable future.
It is from this shared understanding that this paper examines the need to move young people beyond being viewed primarily as voting numbers and towards being recognised as active stakeholders, policy participants and partners in governance and development.
INTRODUCTION
Young people are not merely beneficiaries of development. They are contributors, innovators, community builders and present stakeholders.
Yet, across different contexts, many young people continue to face barriers to education, employment, digital access, entrepreneurship and meaningful participation in decision-making.
In Nigeria, these realities are visible in different ways.
A young person in a rural community may struggle with access to quality education, electricity and reliable internet. Another young person in an urban centre may have access to technology but face unemployment, economic pressure and the high cost of living.
Some young people are entrepreneurs. Others are students, graduates seeking employment, creatives, farmers, digital workers, volunteers or community advocates.
Their circumstances may be different, but their aspirations are connected.
The challenge before us is therefore not simply to recognise these differences, but to develop systems capable of responding to them while ensuring that no young person is excluded from opportunity.
FROM VOTING NUMBERS TO POLICY STAKEHOLDERS
One of the most important conversations we must have as young Nigerians concerns our place in governance.
For too long, young people have been described as “leaders of tomorrow.”
But tomorrow cannot continually be used as a reason to exclude young people from decisions being made today.
Young people are not only future leaders; we are present stakeholders.
We already contribute to our communities, our economy and our country.
Therefore, youth participation must go beyond elections.
Young people should not become important only when political actors need votes, campaign volunteers or social-media visibility.
Our participation must extend to the entire policy process—from identifying problems to formulating policies, implementing programmes, monitoring outcomes and demanding accountability.
As Director of Youth Advocacy and Policy at the National Youth Council of Nigeria, I recognise the importance of creating channels through which the experiences and ideas of young people can enter meaningful policy conversations.
Through the Corpers Journey Advocacy Network, CJAN, we have also emphasised the importance of young people understanding their communities, their rights and responsibilities, and their capacity to become agents of positive change.
Move young people from being passive recipients of decisions to active participants in making those decisions.
GLOBAL SOLIDARITY
Global Solidarity is a central dimension of this year’s International Youth Day framework.
Youth development cannot be achieved by one government, institution or organisation working alone.
We need stronger partnerships among government, youth organisations, civil society, educational institutions, development partners and the private sector.
But solidarity should not simply mean speaking for young people.
It should mean creating spaces where young people can speak for themselves and participate in decisions that affect them.
We need partnerships that provide access to knowledge, mentorship, funding, technology, networks and decision-making spaces.
And these opportunities must not be concentrated only in major cities.
If we truly believe in different contexts and common aspirations, our solutions must recognise the diversity of young people’s experiences.
SHARED CHALLENGES
Shared Challenges form another important dimension of the International Youth Day framework.
Education, unemployment, digital exclusion, climate change, economic insecurity and limited social protection are challenges that affect young people across different contexts.
But these challenges are interconnected.
Education affects employability.
Employment affects economic independence.
Digital access affects education, entrepreneurship, employment and civic participation.
Climate change affects livelihoods, food security and community resilience.
Therefore, our policies must also become interconnected.
We need to look beyond individual problems and consider the whole young person.
A young person should not have to overcome multiple disconnected barriers simply to access the basic opportunities required to build a meaningful life.
YOUTH INNOVATION
Youth Innovation is the third major dimension of the framework.
Nigerian young people have demonstrated extraordinary creativity.
Across our communities, young people are building businesses, developing digital platforms, creating social initiatives, producing content, volunteering and developing solutions to everyday problems.
Innovation is not always determined by how much money someone has. Sometimes, innovation is born from necessity.
What many young people need is not someone to do everything for them. They need access.
Access to information. Access to skills. Access to technology. Access to capital. Access to mentorship. Access to markets. And, importantly, access to decision-making spaces.
If we want young people to innovate at scale, we must build systems that allow them to develop, test and expand their ideas.
THE CJAN PERSPECTIVE: FROM ADVOCACY TO ACTION
This is where the work of the Corpers Journey Advocacy Network—CJAN becomes particularly relevant.
Youth advocacy should not end with a conference, a speech or a hashtag.
Advocacy should lead to awareness. Awareness should lead to participation. Participation should lead to action. And action should produce measurable impact.
Leadership should also not be defined only by occupying political office.
Leadership can mean identifying a problem in your community and working to solve it.
It can mean educating another young person.
It can mean advocating for better policies.
It can mean volunteering.
It can mean creating employment.
It can mean developing technology that solves a local problem.
It can mean standing for inclusion, fairness and accountability.
That is the kind of youth leadership Nigeria needs.
WHAT MUST WE DO DIFFERENTLY?
First, we must strengthen meaningful youth participation in policymaking. Young people should be involved before decisions are made, not simply invited after decisions have already been taken.
Second, we must invest in youth innovation by expanding access to funding, mentorship, technology and markets.
Third, we must close the digital divide because connectivity is increasingly connected to education, employment, entrepreneurship and civic participation.
Fourth, we must strengthen youth civic and policy literacy. Young people need to understand how government works, how policies are developed and how institutions can be constructively engaged.
Fifth, we must change the language of youth development.
Instead of constantly asking: “What can we do for young people?” we should begin asking: “What can we build with young people?”
That change in language represents a much deeper change in mindset.
CONCLUSION
Distinguished participants,
Our contexts may be different.
Our journeys may be different.
Our challenges may be different.
But our aspirations remain common.
Young people want to learn. We want to work. We want to innovate. We want to participate. We want to contribute. And we want to live in societies where our background does not determine the limits of our future.
Young people are therefore not a problem to be managed. We are a generation of possibilities to be invested in.
From the perspective of youth advocacy and policy, our responsibility is to ensure that young people’s voices move from conversations into institutions, from institutions into policies, and from policies into measurable outcomes.
From the perspective of CJAN, our responsibility is to continue encouraging young people to become active citizens, advocates and community builders.
And from the perspective of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, our collective responsibility is to continue strengthening the bridge between young people and the institutions that shape their future.
Let us therefore build a Nigeria—and a world—where young people are not merely counted as numbers, but counted as partners.
Let us move beyond celebrating young people once a year and begin building systems that work for them every day.
Because our contexts may be different. Our journeys may be different. Our challenges may be different. But our aspirations remain common.
Different Contexts. Common Aspirations. Shared Responsibility. Collective Action.
Happy International Youth Day 2026.
Thank you.
REFERENCES
United Nations. International Youth Day 2026 Concept Note: Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.
United Nations. International Youth Day materials on youth participation, sustainable development and youth empowerment.
National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Materials and policy perspectives on youth participation, advocacy and development.
Corpers Journey Advocacy Network (CJAN). Youth advocacy and civic participation initiatives.
