World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) is observed annually on July 15th and was established by the United Nations to emphasize the importance of equipping young people with the skills needed for employment, entrepreneurship, and active participation in society.

The 2026 theme, Skills for a Shared Future, expands the conversation beyond Artificial Intelligence to highlight the importance of developing a balanced mix of technical and vocational skills, green skills, social and emotional skills, alongside digital and AI competencies. Together, these skills prepare young people to thrive in and contribute to societies that are more:

• Inclusive 
• Sustainable 
• Resilient 

As a society, we collectively have a responsibility to ensure that young people are equipped with the skills, opportunities, and support they need to build meaningful careers. Their talents should not be wasted, and their passion, creativity, and willingness to contribute should be matched with pathways that enable them to succeed. This vision lies at the heart of The Future Project’s mission and informed its partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), GIZ Nigeria & ECOWAS, and the Nigeria Youth SDGs Network (NGYouthSDGs), organizations equally committed to strengthening and empowering Nigeria’s youth.

To commemorate World Youth Skills Day 2026, the four organizations convened a live event that brought together leaders from the private sector policy makers, development organizations, and youth advocacy to explore practical solutions for improving youth employment outcomes. The panel featured Ayodeji Razaq, Group CEO of RED | For Africa; Aisha Dirisu, National Project Coordinator at the International Labour Organization (ILO); Ebiho Agun, Special Assistant to the Minister, Federal Ministry of Youth Development; and Deborah Adelaja, a member of the Youth Advisory Board of NGYouthSDGs. The conversation was moderated by Oluwafunmilola Oguntamu, Associate at The Future Project.

Below are some of the key discussions by the panelists:

 

Transitioning Young People into Decent Work 

One of the central discussions focused on the challenge of preparing young people for quality employment.

Speaking from the perspective of a private-sector employer, Ayodeji Razaq highlighted the growing disconnect between what many graduates learn in school and what employers require in the workplace. While higher institutions continue to prioritize theoretical learning, employers, particularly within the creative industry, increasingly seek candidates with practical experience and workplace readiness.

Beyond technical competence, he identified a gap in corporate skills, noting that many graduates struggle to transition smoothly into structured work environments. Although internships provide valuable exposure, employers can only absorb a limited number of young people. To bridge this gap, he proposed creating “models to be able to formalize youth employment, in such a way that makes it easier for people to gain skills, which they can translate into the workspace,” while also creating opportunities for young professionals to “practice the skills they learned on campus.”

Offering a policy perspective, Aisha Dirisu explained how systemic frameworks such as the National Employment Policy (NEP 2025) provide the foundation for helping young people transition into decent work. Representing the ILO, she emphasized the need to move beyond isolated training programmes toward integrated employment ecosystems supported by a functional Labour Market Information System (LMIS) and a unified National Qualifications Framework that makes skills portable and recognized across sectors.

Providing the perspective of young job seekers, Deborah Adelaja highlighted what many graduates experience after leaving school: an “experience catch-22.” Despite possessing certifications, volunteering experience, leadership credentials, and professional training, many young people continue to be excluded from quality employment because organizations prioritize years of formal work experience over demonstrated competence and impact.

While she acknowledged internships as an important bridge between volunteer experience and paid employment, she argued that implementation remains the greatest challenge. National policies and employment programmes can only succeed when young people at the grassroots are aware of them and understand how to access the opportunities they provide.

 

Multi-Sector Collaboration as the Foundation for Sustainable Youth Employment 

Another recurring theme throughout the discussion was that no single institution can solve youth unemployment alone. The panelists consistently emphasized that creating decent work opportunities requires coordinated action across government, the private sector, educational institutions, development organizations, and young people themselves.

Speaking from the ILO’s perspective, Aisha Dirisu stressed the importance of “moving beyond isolated training programmes” toward building “integrated employment ecosystems.” She noted that while Nigeria already possesses a robust policy framework, “the work now is how can we build the system to operationalize and make sure that these systems become real to young people in Nigeria.”

Her remarks aligned closely with Ayodeji Razaq’s call for stronger collaboration between employers and educational institutions to ensure graduates acquire practical, market-relevant skills rather than theoretical knowledge alone.

Reinforcing this shared responsibility, Ebiho Agun explained that the ongoing review of the Nigerian Youth Employment Action Plan is being shaped through extensive consultations with stakeholders, particularly young people themselves. As he noted, “young people are one of our major stakeholders in terms of getting inputs into the review process.”

Collectively, these perspectives underscored a shared understanding that sustainable youth employment cannot be achieved through isolated interventions. Lasting impact depends on collaboration between every stakeholder responsible for preparing young people for the future of work.

 

Bridging the Gap Between Policy Design and Real-World Impact 

While Nigeria has made notable progress in developing employment policies, another major theme that emerged was the need to ensure these policies translate into meaningful outcomes for young people.

Aisha Dirisu acknowledged the progress made through initiatives such as the National Employment Policy and the Youth Employment Action Plan but emphasized that “the opportunity before us now is the operationalization of this policy.” In her view, policies achieve their purpose only when they evolve into systems that actively support young people’s transition into decent work.

Deborah Adelaja reinforced this point by illustrating how implementation gaps affect young people in practical terms. Although she possessed certifications, volunteer leadership experience, and project management skills, securing paid employment remained difficult because employers continued to prioritize formal work experience.

She advocated for expanding internship opportunities that allow young people to convert demonstrated competence into recognized professional experience while making these opportunities more visible and accessible.

Responding to these concerns, Ebiho Agun explained that the revised Youth Employment Action Plan seeks to make employment services more practical, accessible, and responsive to young people’s needs. As he observed, “making policies is one thing… giving detailed explanation of where young people can access services” is equally important.

He further emphasized that “accessing information and services is key,” noting that digitalization presents an opportunity to ensure young people across Nigeria, regardless of location, can easily access work-readiness training, employment services, and career opportunities.

Taken together, the panelists demonstrated that the effectiveness of employment policies lies not simply in their existence, but in how well they are implemented, communicated, and made accessible to the young people they are designed to serve.

 

Looking Ahead

The discussions throughout World Youth Skills Day 2026 made one thing abundantly clear: preparing young people for the future of work requires far more than technical training alone. It demands stronger collaboration between policymakers, employers, educational institutions, development partners, and young people themselves.

While Nigeria has made significant progress in developing employment policies and expanding skills initiatives, their true impact will ultimately depend on effective implementation, accessibility, and sustained collaboration across sectors. Building a shared future is not solely about equipping young people with new skills, but about creating systems that recognize those skills, provide pathways into decent work, and ensure every young person has a fair opportunity to thrive.

In many ways, this year’s World Youth Skills Day served not only as a conversation about the future of work, but as a call to action. It reminded every stakeholder that creating a more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient society begins with investing in young people and ensuring that the opportunities to succeed are as accessible as the ambitions they carry.