Tinubu’s youth empowerment initiatives, framed as a pathway to economic transformation and national stability, were a central pillar of his 2023 campaign. With more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population under the age of 35, policies that expand employment, entrepreneurship, and skills development are essential to the country’s long-term development. However, two years into the administration, an assessment by Yiaga Africa finds that while several ambitious initiatives have been introduced, many remain in early stages, and significant implementation challenges persist.
Between 2023 and 2025, the Tinubu administration launched the Labour Employment and Empowerment Program (LEEP), the Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), and the Skill-Up Artisan Program (SUPA), all aimed at addressing youth unemployment and improving economic participation. At inception, these initiatives signalled a strong commitment to youth development; however, progress has been uneven. Despite budgetary allocations and the creation of institutional frameworks, implementation has struggled to translate policy ambition into widespread impact and face persistent structural barriers.
The Gap in Job Creation and LEEP
On youth employment and job creation, Yiaga Africa’s findings show a significant gap between targets and outcomes. The Labour Employment and Empowerment Program (LEEP), launched in 2025, was designed with the ambitious goal of creating 2.5 million jobs for young Nigerians, but as of mid-2025, the program had not recorded job placements. This gap between targets and actual outcomes raises concerns about implementation capacity and the mechanisms needed to connect job seekers with employment opportunities.
On the other hand, the National Health Graduates Fellows Programme demonstrated more immediate results. The program successfully deployed 774 graduates across Nigeria’s local government areas, providing both employment opportunities and additional capacity within the health sector. While limited in scale, the program illustrates how targeted, well-structured initiatives can deliver measurable outcomes when effectively coordinated.
Funding Delays in the NYIF
In the area of youth entrepreneurship, findings indicate funding that lacks sufficient transparency or reach. The ₦110 billion recapitalisation of the Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) in May 2024 signalled renewed commitment to supporting youth-led enterprises. Despite this financial injection, disbursement of the funds has been slow and opaque, with little publicly available data on how many young entrepreneurs have benefited. Plans to establish a NextGen Youth Entrepreneurship Bank and develop sector-based enterprise clusters have also remained largely at the planning or pilot stages. Without clearer implementation timelines and transparency mechanisms, these initiatives risk losing credibility among the very young entrepreneurs they are meant to support.
Digital Skills and Vocational Training Wins
The administration has also prioritised digital skills and innovation as part of its youth development strategy, with the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA) set to launch in March 2025, but progress has been slower than projected. Aiming to train seven million young Nigerians in digital skills, the program awarded seed grants to six entrepreneurs and set out an ambitious roadmap for expanding digital capacity across the country at its launch. However, its reach has so far fallen short of expectations, raising questions about scale and delivery capacity.
More encouraging developments appear in the area of vocational training and education. The Skill-Up Artisan Program (SUPA) has emerged as one of the brighter spots within the administration’s youth agenda. In 2024 alone, the program trained approximately 29,000 young people in vocational skills. This focus on practical, job-ready training aligns with the growing demand for technical skills in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, and services. In addition, the government operationalised an interest-free student loan scheme aimed at improving access to higher education and vocational training. Together, these initiatives reflect a recognition that empowering youth requires not only academic pathways but also strong technical and vocational alternatives.
The Verdict: Transparency and Next Steps
Overall, the assessment finds that while the government has introduced promising youth-focused initiatives, many remain stalled or poorly implemented. Structural challenges continue to slow progress, including weak coordination across ministries, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and limited transparency around outcomes. With little publicly available data on job creation or business support, measuring real impact remains difficult, fueling a growing trust deficit among young Nigerians who often perceive these programs as inaccessible or skewed toward the well-connected.
Bridging this gap will require more than policy announcements; there needs to be deliberate action on coordination, transparency, and inclusive delivery. Strengthening oversight, decentralising programs to reach underserved communities, and making data publicly accessible are critical steps toward restoring trust and ensuring impact.
To follow how these commitments are being tracked and to stay informed on government performance, explore more insights from Yiaga Africa’s #FulfillIt campaign, which monitors the delivery of key policy promises.
