HipCity Innovation Centre convened a strategic forum in Abuja on August 14th, 2025, to confront Nigeria’s urban youth crisis, featuring participants from governmental bodies, diplomatic missions, the urban planning sector, youth representatives from the Federal Capital Territory, and civil society organizations. This commemorative event for International Youth Day served as a platform for transformative dialogue, bridging local challenges with global solutions.
Nigeria’s population of 206 million is comprised of 63% individuals under the age of 24; however, systemic urban exclusion has rendered cities arenas of survival rather than bastions of opportunity. The prohibitive cost of housing and inadequate transportation infrastructure compel youth to seek refuge in unplanned settlements. The demographic landscape is striking: projections suggest that Nigeria will burgeon to 401 million inhabitants by 2050, potentially positioning it as the third most populous nation globally. This presents an extraordinary demographic dividend, yet the prevailing urban conditions transform what ought to be gateways to opportunity into environments necessitating a “daily negotiation for survival.”
