In a renewed commitment to strengthening youth inclusion in governance, PROMAD Infotech Foundation, Nigeria Youth Futures Fund, NYFF; the Nigeria Open Government Partnership, OGP, Secretariat, and the Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre, SERDEC, have announced a strategic partnership to host six youth-led regional dialogues across Nigeria.
The dialogues will contribute to the co-creation of the country’s fourth National Action Plan, NAP IV, for the Open Government Partnership.
Announced under the initiative “Strengthening Youth Participation in the OGP Process in Nigeria,” the collaboration seeks to ensure that young people play an active role in shaping governance reforms and open government policies.
The dialogues, scheduled to take place from July to October 2025, will be held across the six geo-political zones of the country.
According to a joint statement signed by the leadership of the four organisations and the National Coordinator of the OGP, Dr. Gloria Ahmed, the regional engagements are a strategic move to bridge the gap in youth participation observed in previous OGP National Action Plans, NAP I–III, implemented between 2016 and 2025.
The groups said despite notable progress in promoting open governance and transparency during the earlier action plans, youth voices were largely under-represented.
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They said the upcoming dialogues aimed to correct that by placing young Nigerians at the heart of the co-creation process for NAP IV.
PROMAD, with support from the European Partnership for Democracy, EPD, will lead the regional dialogues in the South-West, South-South, and North-Central regions.
NYFF will oversee engagements in the South-East, North-East, and North-West, and also coordinate the final national convening in Abuja.
The national OGP secretariat and SERDEC will provide implementation support across all zones.
Objectives of the Youth Regional Dialogues include the increase in youth participation in the co-creation of Nigeria’s NAP IV; To ensure the new action plan reflects the ideas and aspirations of young people and to enhance awareness and visibility of the OGP process among youth and grassroots civil society organisations.
The outcome of the regional sessions—data, insights, and policy recommendations—will be compiled into a single comprehensive report.
The report will be presented during the national convening in Abuja, where OGP stakeholders will adopt it as a foundational document for NAP IV.
The initiative marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s open governance journey, amplifying youth voices and fostering stronger collaboration between citizens and the government.
Signatories to the announcement are Dr. Gloria Ahmed, National Coordinator, Nigeria Open Government Partnership; Dr. Onyeche Elisabeth Agbiti-Douglas, Project Director, Nigeria Youth Futures Fund, NYFF; Daisi M. Omokungbe, Founder & Executive Director, PROMAD; and Abdulkareem Tijani, Executive Director, SERDEC.
