The Northwest Youth Development Consortium (NYDC), a coalition of 22 youth-led organizations across Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara States, has issued a regional call for an urgent prioritisation of introducing and implementing state youth policies in all the states.
This call was issued in a press statement signed by the NYDC consortium on Tuesday.
The Consortium that amplifies the powerful voices of the youth in Northwest Nigeria operates under the Youth Leading Change Program (YLCP), implemented by Bridge Connect Africa Initiative (BCAI) with support from the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF).
Through coordinated engagement across the seven states, the Consortium seeks to strengthen formal mechanisms for youth participation in state policy formulation and decision-making.
Across the Northwest region, the status of state youth policies is uniquely different across each state, reflecting varying stages of delayed progress.
In Kaduna State, the State Youth Policy has been successfully validated and is advancing toward formal approval and adoption.
In Kano State, the Youth Policy Edict review has been completed and is awaiting formal executive consideration and assent.
In Katsina State, the National Action Plan on Youth, Peace, and Security has been domesticated, with implementation processes underway, while attention is shifting toward domestication of the National Youth Policy.
In Kebbi State, the Youth Policy review process is ongoing, with draft development in progress following initial stakeholder consultations.
In Jigawa, Sokoto, and Zamfara States, no approved or publicly accessible State Youth Policy frameworks are currently in force, highlighting a significant governance gap.
Where policy frameworks are absent or not operational, youth participation in governance remains informal and discretionary.
Without approved policy instruments, youth priorities are not systematically integrated into state planning processes, budgeting frameworks, or institutional accountability mechanisms.
In response to this governance gap, the Northwest Youth Development Consortium urgently calls for the following actions across all seven states:
- Initiation of Youth Policy Development in States Without Frameworks: States without approved State Youth Policies or frameworks, including Jigawa, Sokoto, and Zamfara, should commence structured and consultative policy development processes within clear administrative timelines.
- Executive Action on Pending Youth Policy Instruments: Where draft policies or bills exist, including in Kano State, timely executive consideration, assent, and completion of legislative processes should be prioritised to enable institutionalisation.
- Strengthened Implementation in States with Existing Policies: In states where policies or related frameworks exist or are advancing, including Kaduna, Katsina, and Kebbi States, implementation processes should be strengthened through defined institutional responsibilities, operational guidelines, and clear reporting structures, particularly as policies progress through review, validation, and domestication stages.
- Budgetary Alignment and Planning Integration: State Youth Policies should be integrated into state development plans and reflected within annual budgeting processes to ensure that commitments are backed by measurable resource allocation.
- Legislative Oversight and Periodic Review: State Houses of Assembly should provide oversight to ensure implementation and mandate periodic review cycles that reflect evolving governance and development realities.
- Institutionalised Youth Participation Mechanisms: States should establish formal mechanisms through which youth-led organisations and youth networks can contribute to policy formulation, monitoring, and evaluation within recognised governance structures.
The Consortium invites Ministries of Youth Development across the Northwest to provide leadership in advancing these priorities in collaboration with Ministries of Planning and Budget, State Houses of Assembly, and relevant regional institutions, including the North West Development Commission.
Strengthening State Youth Policy frameworks is essential to building predictable and accountable governance systems that recognise young people as stakeholders in development planning and public decision-making.
As a coordinated regional coalition, the Northwest Youth Development Consortium is advancing these policy priorities through State Youth Policy Dialogue Workshops currently being convened across the seven Northwest states between March and April 2026.
Initial engagements in Kaduna and Katsina States have commenced, providing a structured platform for Ministries of Youth Development and other relevant institutions to begin formalising commitments, developing state action plans, clarifying policy timelines, and agreeing on actionable next steps toward youth policy development, adoption, implementation, or review.
