The Federal Government has renewed its strategic partnership with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to train and empower 20 million young Nigerians with digital skills by 2030.

This came as the Vice President, Kashim Shettima has accepted to chair the board of Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU 9JA), a public-privateyouth partnership platform constituted to help young Nigerians between the ages of 10 and 24 transit from learning to earning through digital connectivity.

Speaking during a meeting with the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Fall; UNICEF Deputy Representative, Dr. Rownak Khan, and Chief of the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, at the President Villa, on Monday, Shettima warned that Nigeria’s rapidly growing population, currently estimated at over 230 million with an average age of 17, presented both a challenge and an opportunity.

“It is an honour for me to serve as the Chairman of Generation Unlimited (GenU 9JA). “This platform provides a vista of opportunities for our young people. Beyond rhetoric, if we want to survive and thrive, we must empower our youth through digital means. That’s the only way forward,” the Vice President said.

The GenU 9JA initiative aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritized inclusive development, digital innovation, and youth empowerment as tools for national transformation. Shettima stressed that Nigeria was not seeking handouts but sustainable, equitable partnerships.

He said: “We are not looking for charity. We want a mutually beneficial relationship—one based on respect and shared interests. This is why I’m very passionate about the digital initiative.