In a bold move to equip Nigerian youths with relevant skills and prepare them for the evolving job market, the Minister of Youth, Ayodele Olawande, has announced the establishment of the Nigerian Youth Academy — a free, open-access initiative aimed at fostering empowerment, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance among young citizens.
Speaking on Monday at the 2025 Annual Management Conference of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) held in Abuja, themed “Transforming the NYSC Scheme to Meet the Yearnings of the Contemporary Nigerian Graduates and Society,” Olawande revealed that the Youth Academy will function as “Nigeria’s own Coursera,” a digital platform offering skill acquisition and learning opportunities for youths across the country.
“This initiative is free and open. You don’t need to know anyone to benefit from it,” the minister declared. “President Bola Tinubu will officially launch and inaugurate the Nigerian Youth Academy. We already have a dashboard and soon it will be accessible to all.”
Olawande added that physical training centers, or “camps,” would be set up nationwide, with Akwa Ibom expected to open its center by the end of the month. He emphasized that the academy is a shift from symbolic projects to impactful youth development.
“Let us move away from building statues in communities and start recording real achievements in mentorship, education, agriculture, arts, and community development,” he said. “It’s time we brought back our skills and gave young people the tools to be competitive globally.”
Addressing ongoing concerns about corps members’ safety, Olawande also announced that hotlines have been made available through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to offer protection and support in emergencies.
“We now have NCC emergency lines corps members can reach out to. If there are issues with the NYSC, reach out to us directly — we want to be the intermediary,” the minister said.
He stressed the importance of addressing unemployment, mental health challenges, and the need to re-orientate young Nigerians to embrace innovation, research, and sustainable career paths, rather than chasing fleeting trends.
The Youth Academy, he noted, will play a key role in tackling these challenges while enhancing the NYSC scheme’s relevance in today’s society.
