Spread the word
Former African Development Bank (AfDB) President, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, has urged African governments to invest in young people through quality education, healthcare, skills development, technology and access to finance.
Adesina made the call while delivering keynote address at the inaugural Seyi Tinubu Colloquium in Lagos, themed “Africa Next: Building the Demographic Asset Class.”
He said Africa’s growing youth population could drive economic growth if governments equipped young people with the knowledge, skills and resources to create businesses, develop technologies and generate employment.
Adesina described education as critical infrastructure, arguing that investment in human capability was as important as investment in roads, electricity and other physical infrastructure.
He also urged African youths to embrace artificial intelligence and digital technology while developing solutions suited to the continent’s needs.
He highlighted Nigeria’s youth-focused initiatives, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the i-DICE programme, which supports digital and creative enterprises.
Adesina also called for improved access to entrepreneurial financing, reliable infrastructure and effective institutions, warning that unemployment and limited opportunities often reflect systemic failures rather than a lack of potential among young people.
He stressed that Africa’s demographic advantage would translate into prosperity only when governments deliberately invested in developing and utilising the capabilities of their people.
“The more important questions are: What will they be able to do? What will they create? What businesses will they build?” he asked, urging African leaders to place youth empowerment at the centre of the continent’s economic transformation.
Spread the word