Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has called for a practical, time-bound action plan to harness the state’s demographic dividend, stressing that Kwara must deliberately invest in its youthful population to achieve sustainable economic growth.
The Governor, represented by his Deputy, Mr. Kayode Alabi, made the call at a high-level stakeholders’ consultative meeting on harnessing the demographic dividend in Kwara State.
He warned that without strategic investments in education, healthcare, skills development, and employment, the state’s growing youth population could become a social and economic liability rather than a valuable asset.
Governor AbdulRazaq said his administration has laid a solid foundation through initiatives such as KwaraLEARN, the Kwara Innovation Hub, the Kwara State Social Investment Programme, and the Primary Healthcare Transformation Programme across the 16 local government areas.
He urged stakeholders to develop an actionable roadmap that prioritises strengthening healthcare, expanding technical and vocational education, promoting youth entrepreneurship, creating employment opportunities, and increasing youth participation in governance.
In his goodwill message, the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Danladi, represented by Hon. Mohammed Salihu, said the formulation of effective policies and programmes depends on the availability of accurate demographic data.
He assured stakeholders of the Assembly’s commitment to providing the necessary legislative backing for the successful implementation of policies aimed at harnessing the state’s demographic dividend.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, Mrs. Mary Ronke Arinde, described the meeting as timely and strategic, noting that over 60 per cent of Kwara’s population is under the age of 30. She said the state’s demographic transition presents a unique opportunity to accelerate inclusive growth through deliberate investments in education, healthcare, skills acquisition, decent employment, and good governance.
Arinde added that harnessing the demographic dividend requires coordinated efforts among government, development partners, the private sector, traditional institutions, civil society organisations, academia, and the media. She reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to integrating population dynamics into the state’s development planning.
Also speaking, the Head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Ms. Abbigail Msemburi, commended the Kwara State Government for convening the meeting, describing it as a demonstration of the administration’s commitment to sustainable and inclusive development. She noted that this year’s World Population Day theme, “Realizing the Hopes and Aspirations of Young People Today and for the Future,” underscores the need to place young people at the centre of development planning through sustained investments in education, healthcare, skills development, and decent employment.
Msemburi reaffirmed UNFPA’s commitment to supporting Kwara State through the European Union-funded Strengthening Access to Reproductive and Adolescent Health (EU-SARAH) Project.
She urged all stakeholders to sustain collaboration in implementing the demographic dividend roadmap, stressing that strategic investments in young people would drive economic growth, innovation, and shared prosperity across the state.
