Empowerment: GenU 9JA Institutionalized Under Vice President’s Office, Impacts 11 Million Youths
Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU 9JA), UNICEF’s Public-Private-Youth-Partnership platform, has been officially institutionalized under the Office of the Vice President, marking a major milestone in Nigeria’s youth empowerment and development efforts
Launched in 2021, GenU 9JA has reached over 11 million young Nigerians across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, focusing particularly on young women and marginalized groups. The initiative provides access to digital learning, employment opportunities, and civic engagement, helping youth transition from learning to earning.
The announcement came during the annual Steering Committee meeting in Lagos, co-chaired by the Office of the Vice President, UNICEF Nigeria, and the Tony Elumelu Foundation. The meeting brought together representatives from government, private sector, development partners, and youth organizations to review progress and set priorities for 2026 and beyond.
In 2025, GenU 9JA expanded its reach through partnerships with Airtel, MTN, IHS Towers, Unilever, Microsoft, Jobberman, CISCO, AfricaRe, and ATC Nigeria, providing over 255,000 youth with mobile data and digital learning resources. Its Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA) connected more than 400,000 young people to skills development and livelihood opportunities. About 20,000 young women acquired digital and technical skills, while 85,000 received mentorship through the Future-X Campus Ambassadors Program.
Civic engagement also grew significantly, with over 665,000 youth participating in social impact initiatives and more than 300,000 mobilized for environmental action through the Green Rising campaign.
According to Rimamskeb Nuhu, Special Assistant to the President (Strategy and Policy, Workforce Development), Office of the Vice President, the mission of GenU 9JA aligns with the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Digital Access and Livelihoods Initiative (DALI), both designed to boost youth employment and entrepreneurship.
UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, Ms. Wafaa Saeed, said institutionalizing GenU 9JA under the Vice President’s Office demonstrates government’s strong commitment to youth development. “With over 11 million young Nigerians impacted in four years, we are on track to support 20 million youth by 2030,” she stated.
Somachi Chris-Asoluka, CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, described youth as “the engines of Africa’s transformation,” reaffirming the Foundation’s partnership with UNICEF to provide mentorship and resources to young entrepreneurs.
Looking ahead, GenU 9JA aims to support 2.5 million youth with jobs, training, and entrepreneurship in 2026, expand YOMA to 2 million users, and provide grants to youth-led start-ups.
As the initiative moves into its next phase, partners reaffirmed their commitment to collective investment in Nigeria’s youth the driving force for the country’s social and economic transformat
ion.