The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is set to deploy technology and artificial intelligence to capture and analyse contributions from young Nigerians participating in the 2026 National Youth Conference.

NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa disclosed this during the opening of the maiden National Youth Conference in Abuja, where he described young Nigerians as an important resource for the country’s development.

According to Inuwa, the technology-driven approach is intended to provide government with a more structured way of identifying the priorities and concerns raised by young people, particularly on issues such as employment, education, technology, entrepreneurship and economic development.

He noted that social media platforms including X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have created opportunities for young Nigerians to express their views. However, he said the sheer volume of information circulating online can make it difficult to separate useful policy ideas from misinformation and other content.

The NITDA boss said the youth conference provides an opportunity to gather those views in a more organised setting and identify issues that require government attention.

Under the proposed system, NITDA will work with the relevant government authorities to digitally capture submissions from participants. Artificial intelligence will then be used to organise the contributions into themes and identify recurring issues and areas of concern.

The resulting analysis is expected to be presented to a committee for further consideration as part of the process of developing policy proposals from the conference.

The use of digital technology is also intended to broaden participation beyond young Nigerians who are physically present at the conference venue. The Federal Government has structured the 2026 conference as a multi-stage engagement involving young people across the country's 360 federal constituencies, six geopolitical zones and the diaspora.

The official conference schedule says the virtual consultation phase is scheduled for October 5 to 21, 2026. This will be followed by town-hall engagements across the 360 federal constituencies and six zonal town halls before the national conference in Abuja from October 26 to 30.

The conference is organised around six broad thematic areas: governance and political participation; entrepreneurship and job creation; education and future-ready skills; technology and digital innovation; climate action and energy transition; and security and social cohesion.

The Federal Government had originally announced plans for a national youth conference in President Bola Tinubu's October 1, 2024 Independence Day address. The exercise was subsequently delayed before the government announced the 2026 timetable.

In September 2026, Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande said the new format would combine nationwide virtual consultations with a physical conference in Abuja. He said the process was intended to allow young Nigerians to submit ideas and policy proposals while ensuring representation from the country's federal constituencies and diaspora.

The official conference platform similarly describes the initiative as a process designed to gather youth perspectives and translate them into policy recommendations for consideration by government.

For NITDA, the proposed use of AI adds a technological layer to that process by allowing large volumes of submissions to be grouped and analysed more efficiently.

Inuwa also pledged continued support from the agency throughout the engagement process, with an emphasis on ensuring that the technology used for gathering and analysing contributions is applied transparently.

The initiative comes as the Federal Government seeks to create a more structured channel for young Nigerians to contribute to discussions about employment, education, technology, economic opportunities, security and other issues affecting their generation.

The eventual policy recommendations, however, will depend on the review and assessment of the submissions after the various stages of the conference have been completed.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia