Cross River State has joined the global community in commemorating the 2026 International Youth Day with a renewed commitment to placing young people at the centre of governance, economic development and social transformation.
Speaking at a World Press Conference organised as part of the 2026 International Youth Week activities in the state, the Commissioner for Youth Development and Skills Acquisition said the celebration was an opportunity to reflect on the realities confronting young people and the need to create sustainable pathways for them to contribute meaningfully to the development of the state.
The conference was held in commemoration of the 2026 United Nations International Youth Day, with the global theme, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” domesticated in Cross River State as “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations, Advancing the People’s Best Agenda Through Sustainable Youth Development.”
The Commissioner said while young people across the world may operate within different social and economic environments, their aspirations remain largely the same, including access to opportunities, decent employment, relevant skills, finance, meaningful participation in governance, entrepreneurship, innovation and safe and inclusive communities.
He said the state’s approach to youth development recognises young people not merely as beneficiaries of government programmes but as partners in development.
According to him, young people are entrepreneurs, innovators, athletes, creatives, farmers, technology developers, community organisers, professionals, volunteers and future leaders whose energy and creativity must be deliberately harnessed for sustainable development.
He explained that the ministry was therefore moving beyond the traditional approach of organising one off empowerment programmes to building sustainable systems through which young people could acquire relevant skills, access opportunities, gain experience, establish enterprises and participate actively in governance.
One of the flagship interventions highlighted at the conference was the “Skills in the Hands” programme, designed to place practical and market relevant skills in the hands of young people while creating pathways for those skills to translate into sustainable livelihoods.
The Commissioner said the initiative was based on the belief that skills acquisition must be connected to real economic opportunities, stressing that young people should be equipped not only to seek employment but also to create employment and build sustainable enterprises.
He noted that the government had also recognised the experience barrier confronting many young graduates who are frequently required to possess work experience before gaining employment despite having limited opportunities to acquire such experience.
He said the state government had therefore embraced paid internships as an important pathway for transitioning young people from education into the world of work.
According to him, the internship initiative is designed to provide young people with practical workplace experience, professional competencies, institutional exposure and networks capable of improving their prospects for employment and entrepreneurship.
The Commissioner also highlighted the state’s partnership with the United Nations through the Nigerian Jubilee Fellowship Programme, describing it as an example of how strategic collaboration between government, development partners and institutions can expand opportunities for young people.
He said the programme provides young Nigerians with structured opportunities to gain valuable work experience while exposing them to professional environments and the realities of the modern labour market.
He called for stronger partnerships among government, development partners, the private sector, civil society organisations, academic institutions, communities and young people themselves, stressing that the scale of youth challenges requires collective action.
The Commissioner said meaningful youth participation must go beyond inviting young people to government programmes to involving them in the conception, design, implementation and evaluation of policies and interventions that affect them.
He said Cross River State was working towards a governance structure where young people could confidently say that government listens to them, works with them, creates opportunities for them and recognises them as partners in development.
He further stated that the 2026 International Youth Day activities would provide a platform for young people across the state to showcase their talents, innovations, creativity, skills and contributions to society.
He said the celebration would spotlight achievements in entrepreneurship, technology, sports, creative industries and community development while creating opportunities for the stories of Cross River young people to be heard beyond the state.
The Commissioner said the government’s youth development philosophy was founded on a transition from youth as beneficiaries to youth as development partners, from one off empowerment to sustai
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