In
its bid to promote sustainable urbanisation in cities and regions that
will provide all citizens with adequate shelter, basic services,
security and employment opportunities regardless of age, sex and social
strata, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
recently organised a survey and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) for youths
in Ibadan and Abuja.
The survey was done to understand the social and structural factors that contribute to the increasing inequalities of opportunities for young men and women aged between 18 and 35, as well as their inclusion in urban governance, and this gave rise to the Global State of the Urban Youth Report (GSUYR).
Chief Consultant to the UN-HABITAT in Nigeria, Dr Boladale Abiola Adebowale, who coordinated the survey said that “Through this programme, we are trying to look at the root causes of inequities among young people in some regions and we try to do that through surveys and FGDs where we ask these youths for their comments and views about initiatives of the governments and how it is affecting them.
“The youths discussed different dimensions of iniquities from economic, social, cultural and political. So our role is that thereafter, we then put all of these views together and analyse the various findings from the survey and then come up with policy recommendations, which is then up to each country to do something about,” she said.
With the theme ‘Urban Equity and Youth Development,’ 20 countries were selected from five regions: Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Arab and Post Conflict states, as coverage areas for the report in the GSUYR 2015/2016 programme.
Held at the SGF conference room, Federal Secretariat, Abuja, the Abuja survey and FGD took place on 5 February, where participants discussed various issues which include the scourge of urban youth unemployment and underemployment; involvement of youth in deliberations and decision making on issues pertaining to them; inequalities in the access to economic and political opportunities, as well as the communication gap between the government and the youths in the nation, among other issues.
A group of youths noted that there has been an increasing youth population in Abuja being the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as a bias in the distribution of economic benefits among the major ethnic groups in the city and Nigeria in general.
While some argued that youth involvement in income generation activities is very low and has led to the increase in social vices including prostitution and internet scamming within the city; some however, acknowledged the efforts of the government in increasing youth inclusion in employment generation through the creation of initiatives including Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YOUWIN), Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) and Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS), among others.
A follow up to the discussions will hold during the youth side events at the upcoming HABITAT III Africa Regional Meeting in Abuja later this month. The event will play host to delegates from over 30 countries in Africa and will provide an opportunity for regional stakeholders to meet, discuss, and identify priorities for sustainable urban development in the coming decades.
The survey was done to understand the social and structural factors that contribute to the increasing inequalities of opportunities for young men and women aged between 18 and 35, as well as their inclusion in urban governance, and this gave rise to the Global State of the Urban Youth Report (GSUYR).
Chief Consultant to the UN-HABITAT in Nigeria, Dr Boladale Abiola Adebowale, who coordinated the survey said that “Through this programme, we are trying to look at the root causes of inequities among young people in some regions and we try to do that through surveys and FGDs where we ask these youths for their comments and views about initiatives of the governments and how it is affecting them.
“The youths discussed different dimensions of iniquities from economic, social, cultural and political. So our role is that thereafter, we then put all of these views together and analyse the various findings from the survey and then come up with policy recommendations, which is then up to each country to do something about,” she said.
With the theme ‘Urban Equity and Youth Development,’ 20 countries were selected from five regions: Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Arab and Post Conflict states, as coverage areas for the report in the GSUYR 2015/2016 programme.
Held at the SGF conference room, Federal Secretariat, Abuja, the Abuja survey and FGD took place on 5 February, where participants discussed various issues which include the scourge of urban youth unemployment and underemployment; involvement of youth in deliberations and decision making on issues pertaining to them; inequalities in the access to economic and political opportunities, as well as the communication gap between the government and the youths in the nation, among other issues.
A group of youths noted that there has been an increasing youth population in Abuja being the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as a bias in the distribution of economic benefits among the major ethnic groups in the city and Nigeria in general.
While some argued that youth involvement in income generation activities is very low and has led to the increase in social vices including prostitution and internet scamming within the city; some however, acknowledged the efforts of the government in increasing youth inclusion in employment generation through the creation of initiatives including Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YOUWIN), Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) and Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS), among others.
A follow up to the discussions will hold during the youth side events at the upcoming HABITAT III Africa Regional Meeting in Abuja later this month. The event will play host to delegates from over 30 countries in Africa and will provide an opportunity for regional stakeholders to meet, discuss, and identify priorities for sustainable urban development in the coming decades.
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