Olawande Visits U.S. Ambassador, Calls for Stronger Partnership for Youth Development

** The Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, earlier today, met with the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja to strengthen collaboration between both countries on various youth-focused initiatives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

In his remarks during the visit, the Minister emphasized the need for a strong synergy between the U.S. government and Nigeria, particularly through the Ministry of Youth Development. He highlighted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to youth empowerment, noting that for the first time, a youth was appointed to head the ministry. Olawande also introduced the Nigerian Youth Academy as a platform for skills development and stressed the importance of working closely with the U.S. Embassy to enhance existing programs.

The minister also discussed partnership opportunities on the upcoming National Youth Confab and the Nigerian Youth Helpdesk.During the meeting, Ms. Titilope Gbadamosi, Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives (Monitoring and Delivery), presented the Youth Activities Dashboard, an initiative that streamlines youth programmes for easy accessibility and monitoring.

In his response, the U.S. Ambassador, H.E. Richard Mills Jr., appreciated the Minister and his delegation for the visit, describing it as timely, especially as the new U.S. administration is reviewing its priorities.

The Ambassador reiterated the commitment of United State’s government to working with Nigeria at both national and subnational levels to enhance youth-focused initiatives.Mr. Lee McManis, Public Diplomacy Counselor at the embassy, noted that the U.S.

Embassy will undertake a work visit to the Ministry of Youth Development to ensure that priorities aligned for effective collaboration.The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to strengthening youth development programs and fostering greater collaboration.