POLITICAL Economy

Minister Advocates Impact-Based Assessment Of Youth Programmes

by admin on | 2026-10-01 17:45:04

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Minister  Advocates Impact-Based Assessment Of Youth Programmes

By Ahmad Sirajo Makama 

Nigeria’s Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has emphasised the importance of evaluating the ministry’s success based on the impact of its interventions on individual lives, rather than merely the quantity of programmes and events it hosts.

Olawande made the call on Wednesday while declaring open the 2026 Annual Ministerial Retreat of the Ministry of Youth Development in Abuja, with the theme: “Consolidating Youth Development Priorities: Delivering Results, Strengthening Partnerships and Expanding Impact.”

The minister said the retreat was an opportunity for the ministry to review its work, identify areas requiring improvement and agree on practical steps to strengthen youth development outcomes.

“We can organise many programs, and that is why you’ve seen that since I’ve been Minister of Youth Development, I’ve always run away from our programs. And I’ve always told the ministry not to put my pictures in programs, or if you know you want to do programs that are not going to have an impact, I’m not interested.”

He said the ministry should focus on whether its interventions create jobs, provide skills, open business opportunities and improve access to funding and markets for young Nigerians.

“Instead, we should assess ourselves by the lives we’ve changed,” Olawande re-emphasised.

The Minister said the ministry’s policies, programmes, spending and partnerships should ultimately demonstrate their impact on Nigerian youths.

“And the Ministry of Youth Development exists for one major reason, to serve the Nigerian youth,” he reiterated.

The minister also linked the ministry’s drive for measurable results to the National Youth Data Bank, saying reliable information would enable the government to make better decisions and design more effective programmes.

He believed that “When the ministry has the right information, we can make better decisions, because better information gives us better policy. But policy gives us better programs, and better programs should improve the lives of our young people.”

Olawande called for stronger partnerships with government agencies, development partners and other stakeholders, stressing that collaborations should deliver tangible benefits rather than simply produce meetings or agreements.

He urged officials to ensure the retreat produces clear priorities, timelines and performance measures.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Maryam Ismaila Keshinro, represented by the Director of Human Resources, Mr Akin Olanipekun, said the retreat provided an opportunity to objectively examine the ministry’s achievements, challenges and performance.

She said officials should distinguish between activities carried out and the actual outcomes of interventions.

“A retreat such as this should not become an occasion for merely presenting activities and achievements. We should distinguish between activities’ output and actual outcomes.”

Dr Keshinro also called for measurable deliverables, verifiable evidence and timely reporting across the ministry and its agencies.

The Permanent Secretary added that “Our deliverables should be measurable. Our evidence should be very, very verifiable. Our reporting must be timely.”

In a goodwill message, the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, said the retreat provided an opportunity for stakeholders to review their progress and align their activities with the ministry’s strategic direction.

Brigadier General Nafiu reaffirmed the NYSC’s role in implementing youth development policies and called for continued collaboration with the ministry and other agencies.

The Director-General also highlighted skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development as important areas in preparing young Nigerians for productive participation in the economy and society.

The Annual Ministerial Retreat brings together officials of the Ministry of Youth Development, its agencies and other stakeholders to review youth development priorities and develop strategies for improving results and expanding impact.