Today, the West African Youth Parliament hosted the 2025 Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Summit in Abuja, themed "Addressing Youth Unemployment and Economic Empowerment." Discussions centred on developing initiatives to tackle youth unemployment through vocational training, entrepreneurship and job creation opportunities as pathways to sustainable development and regional security.

During the event, APDC Group Managing Director Dr Chiji Ojukwu was presented with the Pan-Africa Youth Leadership Honour and invested as West Africa Youths Ambassador in recognition of his transformative work empowering young people across the continent.

In his acceptance remarks, Dr Ojukwu addressed the unemployment crisis facing African youth: 

"From Uganda to every corner of Africa, young people face a severe unemployment challenge. Since the Arab Spring in 2011, each year 12 million graduates compete for only 3 million available jobs, leaving 9 million without opportunities. During my time at the African Development Bank, I established multiple programmes targeted towards youth and arresting youth unemployment. Among these was the ENABLE Youth Programme, operational in over 18 African countries and part of the Bank-wide Jobs for Youth in Africa strategy 2016-2025. This strategy aims to create 25 million jobs and positively impact 50 million youth through skills training, entrepreneurship support, and job creation initiatives.

These programmes empower thousands of young agripreneurs and entrepreneurs with skills, mentorship, and access to finance. Beyond ENABLE Youth, other initiatives include incubation centers, investment funds, and partnerships with governments to build sustainable pathways for young people to become economically independent. Today, these efforts are vital as we seek to transform youth unemployment challenges into economic empowerment opportunities across the continent.

Upon retiring from the Bank, I dedicated myself fully to youth empowerment by founding APDC, a youth incubation centre focused on graduates facing unemployment. The Centre provides the skills and support for those unable to secure traditional employment to run successful ventures. So far, we have empowered over 9,000 young people across Africa. I am deeply grateful for this recognition, which honors not just my work but the resilience and potential of every young person we have had the privilege to support."

The award underscores APDC's growing impact in transforming Africa's youth unemployment challenge into entrepreneurial opportunity. Please join us in celebrating this well-deserved recognition for Dr. Ojukwu.

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