TheCable

Over 6,000 youths have registered to participate virtually in the upcoming national youth conference.

The conference, slated for October 12 to 15, is aimed at increasing youth participation in key national decisions like governance, economic development, and national security.

Nkechi Obi, conference coordinator, said 370 delegates are expected to physically participate in the conference. 

“With about two weeks until the start of the conference, the young Nigerians have been registering online through the conference website to participate in the event,” the statement reads. 

“The registration data reveals interesting details on gender and topic preferences. 83.2 percent of those that have registered are male while only 16.8 percent are female. 62.3 percent of the respondents are between the ages of 18 and 30, while 36.2 percent are between 31 years and 40 years old.

“The data was surprising to the team and the information gathered would dictate the tempo and depth of the conversations at the conference.”

Obi expressed excitement over the level of interest shown by Nigerian youths, saying it is encouraging. 

She said the conference had received support from private and development agencies.

“The enthusiasm with which young Nigerians are registering for the National Youth Conference is encouraging,” she said.

“There is genuine eagerness by the youth to have a front-row seat at the table and that is what this conference offers. It is clear from the data we are seeing on the website that more female online users need to register. 

“We were particularly surprised that youth participation in politics is generating more interest than sports and entertainment. We are doing our best to ensure that we get the best resource persons to handle each of these critical topics.”

“So far, we are getting support from many local corporations and international agencies. They all say this conference is timely and critical. The Minister of Youth and Sports Development is grateful for their support and looks forward to having everyone at the conference.”