Dabesaki Mac-Ikemenjima Integrating the needs of young people into the Second National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS 2) Dabesaki Mac-Ikemenjima Representative of the Government of Nigeria Commonwealth Regional Youth Caucus Africa National Council on Youth Development March 12-16, Katsina City

NEEDS 1 Value re-orientation Wealth Creation Employment Generation Poverty eradication

NEEDS 2 NEEDS 2 will seek to reduce poverty levels by 35 percent by 2011, with a particular emphasis on employment.

Young people have needs Reproductive health needs Education needs Employment/ entrepreneurship needs Participation needs

What do young people want? Education of good quality; Adequate youth friendly reproductive health services; More space to participate in the social, economic and political life of society; More jobs, opportunities and policy environment that supports small scale youth businesses.

Meeting educational needs Provide free, accessible education of good quality; Train, retrain and recruit teachers; Review curriculum; Equip and build schools not six classroom blocks; Pay teachers salaries Invest in research, science and technology Invest in girls education

Meeting Participation needs Reserve quotas for youth participation in political and policy processes; Engage youth as professionals and not just as recipients of agendas; Include youth in delegations to national and international meetings on issues affecting them.

Meeting Reproductive Health needs Invest in youth friendly reproductive health services; Increasingly engage youth as peer educators to stop AIDS and pregnancy; Provide free and friendly counselling and testing services as well as ARV for positive youth; Implement the HIV/AIDS/ Family Life Education at all levels.

Meeting employment needs Unemployment is linked to poverty, HIV/AIDS and other social vices; Create micro-finance schemes to support young entrepreneurs in establishing private businesses; Create mentorship and internship schemes to support youth businesses; Track all government investments on youth entrepreneurship and create a database on youth employment; Provide ICT training for youth and invest in rural telephony project; Provide an enabling policy environment for youth businesses to thrive

Why invest in young people? Demographic bonus Innovation and leadership Bear the brunt of poverty on their families and communities

NEEDS 2 and the MDGs NEEDS 2 will seek to reduce poverty levels by 35 percent by 2011, the MDGs seek to halve poverty (50 percent) by 2015; Achieving NEEDS 2 is critical to Nigeria’s achievement of the MDGs. This could be a groundbreaking achievement to become to\he first country in SSA to be so close to achieving the MDGs; NEEDS 2 has to focus on key MDG indicators related to youth.

Quick wins from MDGs youth report Expand access to SRH information including family planning services; Provide free school meals in primary schools to encourage school retainership; Governments should adopt and promote the concept of peer-led initiatives and encourage young people in schooling to undertake community based initiatives that encourage school participation.

NEEDS 2 and the MDGs In other to position Nigeria towards achieving the MDGs, investment priorities in NEEDS 2 should include; Hunger and poverty reduction programs; Universal basic education Girl child education and empowerment of young women Health care system that meets the SRH needs of youth Contraception, family planning and sexuality education Prevention of HIV and other diseases Massive investment in affordable housing In youth employment and ICT4D.

Recommendations Create inter-ministerial collaboration and partnerships on youth development in Nigeria; Coordination of youth interventions across ministries and agencies; Make budgetary provisions to youth issues across government ministries; Invest in multi-sectoral, multistakeholder youth-adult partnerships; Fund the National Youth Development Fund; Invest in the National Youth Service Corps.

Sanu Etse Imela Omiete I thank you all for your attention Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria Long live the Commonwealth