The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is set to deploy technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to capture, analyse and organise ideas generated by young Nigerians at the maiden National Youth Conference 2026, as government moves to translate youth concerns into policy proposals.
NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, disclosed this at the opening of the conference in Abuja, describing Nigerian youths as a strategic national asset and stressing the need for government to create a more structured channel for hearing their aspirations.
According to Inuwa, while platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok have given young Nigerians unprecedented avenues to express themselves, the sheer volume of online content makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish genuine policy ideas from misinformation and digital noise.
He said the conference would provide government with an opportunity to “filter the noise” and identify the issues that matter most to young Nigerians across the economy.
“It is a deliberate step to make sure your voices, your aspirations, your ideas are brought closer to the heart of national decision-making,” Inuwa said.
He explained that NITDA, working with the relevant ministry, would deploy technology to capture contributions from participants, while AI would analyse and organise the submissions into thematic areas.
The resulting insights would be presented to a committee to support its assessment of the issues raised and contribute to the development of policy proposals.
“We will present it to the committee, and government will use that to turn your aspirations into ideas, ideas into proposals, proposals into policies for government to build the policies you want,” he said.
The NITDA DG added that technology would also enable remote participation, allowing young Nigerians who cannot attend physically to contribute to the process.
He assured participants that their contributions would be digitally captured, analysed and preserved, creating a traceable pathway from discussions at the conference to government policy considerations.
“I want to assure you that all your discussions will be captured, and the technology will keep it,” he said, adding that NITDA would support the initiative “end to end” and ensure transparency throughout the technology-driven engagement.
The National Youth Conference 2026 is structured around six key areas: governance and political participation; entrepreneurship and job creation; climate action and energy transition; education and future-ready skills; technology and digital innovation; and security and social cohesion.
The conference is expected to draw participation from young Nigerians across the country’s 360 federal constituencies, the six geopolitical zones and the diaspora.
The six geopolitical zones will hold dedicated virtual sessions for 12 days from October 5 to 17, 2026, with technical support from NITDA.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, led dignitaries at the opening ceremony, including NYSC Director-General, Brigadier-General Olakunle Nafiu; National President of NANS, Akinteye Hafeez; representatives of the academia; and representatives of Commissioners of Youth Development from the 36 states.