The UNFPA Resident Representative, Dr. Gifty Addico, has noted that no State can achieve sustainable development without understanding the needs and deliberately investing inclusively in the youth and young persons.
This was contained in a speech he delivered on her behalf by the UNFPA Gender and Reproductive Health Analyst Deborah Tabara at a sensitisation and entrepreneur skill acquisition for Adolescents and Young people.
The event was marked in commemoration of the 2024 International Youth Day organised by the Bauchi State Office of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the theme From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development.
Addico said young people have the power to make our physical and digital world more just, equal, peaceful and safe if the right investment is made towards harnessing their potential.
“As a generation born into a digital world, young people are adept at harnessing the vast opportunity that technology offers to build a more inclusive present and future.”
According to the Resident Representative, young people have boundless potential to inspire and change their communities, state and the nation as a whole, as they are vibrant and full of ideas.
“On this International Youth Day, we celebrate the resilience, strength, and progress young people are making towards driving change in their communities and beyond. Their journey is one of overcoming obstacles and asserting their rights.”
She commended the office of the Bauchi State Sustainable Development Goals for organizing this event as part of the government’s effort to empower young people through education and entrepreneur skills acquisition, highlighting the significant strides being made to harness young people’s potential.
UNFPA’s mandate she added is grounded in the International Conference on Population and Development and its Programme of Action, which calls for addressing the interrelationships between population, sustained economic growth and sustainable development, as well as poverty, hunger, health, education and gender equality in policies and programmes, which are without doubt some of the most important of all the United Nations SDGs.
“In the spirit of partnership and cooperation, UNFPA is committed to working closely with the Bauchi state government to achieve its development outcomes for the growing population of young people, who constitute more than 35% of the 8,780684 population (2024 UNFPA population projection) in the state.
“As we look to the future, the role of digitalization plays an important role in all aspects of life, especially with the youth, this will enhance the ongoing empowerment initiatives of youth which is essential. Their digital skills, voices and experiences will add value to shaping the conversation around sexual and reproductive rights and services, pushing for a world where every young person, regardless of their background, can live a healthy, empowered life.”
Bauchi State Commissioner Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination, Aminu Hammayo said the state is to establish digital incubation centres for the training of start-ups that will help attract investment to the state.
“The State is partnering the AFDB and the Federal government on a new, Investment in Digital Skills Enterprises that aims to equip youths with essential skills fostering digital technology and artificial intelligence.”
Hammayo said the State will collaborate with educational institutions and Tech companies to create skills workshops that will get the youths engaged.
Also speaking, the Commissioner of Information and Communication, Usman Danturaki said young people are the change-makers who can shape society.
“You are the ones who will shape the future, who will innovate and who will solve problems facing our communities. We must also recognize the fact that some of these challenges you face such as discrimination, injustice, and inequality are part of the processes of your development, and thus you must accommodate your diversities celebrate your differences and stand in unity and solidarity with one another to harness your potential.”
Similarly, the Director General Bauchi State Office of SDGs, Lydia Shehu called on the youths to explore opportunities the digital world provides to better their lives.
By Lizzy Carr
