IOM establishes youth advisory board to drive migration policies

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has inaugurated the Youth Advisory Board on Migration to drive migration-related policies and programmes in Nigeria. Speaking during the event, Ms Paola Pace, Deputy Head of Mission, IOM, in Nigeria, called for a critical engagement of youths to advance the effective formulation and implementation of migration-related policies and programmes. […]

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has inaugurated the Youth Advisory Board on Migration to drive migration-related policies and programmes in Nigeria.

Speaking during the event, Ms Paola Pace, Deputy Head of Mission, IOM, in Nigeria, called for a critical engagement of youths to advance the effective formulation and implementation of migration-related policies and programmes.

Pace said the youth-led platform highlights IOM’s commitment to strengthening youth engagement in migration governance.

She explained the Board is designed to amplify the voices of young people in the formulation of migration-related policies and programmes, enhance youth participation in shaping migration policies, advance community-level advocacy and contribute meaningfully to national and global migration discourse.

According to her, the establishment of the Board is in line with IOM’s Youth Strategy for 2027 and its broader mission to empower young people as essential partners in developing sustainable migration solutions.

Pace said, “We received more than 300 applications; twelve of them were selected here in Abuja, ten are based in Lagos, but they represent many different states of the region.

“So, we look at the positive side of a social phenomenon that has always existed and will always exist. Also, to see the downsides when migration is not regular, safe and orderly, but when it is forced or in an abusive form.

“We know, Nigeria is a very youthful country. Over 70 per cent of the population is under the age of 30 years. So, we cannot do anything for the youth without the youth.

“So, you are really the voices, and without you, we wouldn’t be here discussing migration and so on. We know youth matters, and we really want you to get involved in several things.” She explained the objectives of the Board to include promoting youth inclusion in migration-related policies and programmes, strengthening youth voices in discussions on safe migration and preventing forms of migration, such as irregular migration, smuggling and trafficking, among others.

For his part, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, represented by Mr Mohammed Abdullahi, his Chief of Staff, said that through collective efforts, stakeholders would be able to ensure the voices of young people counted in national migration governance.

“Government alone cannot do everything. This is why I am calling on the Youth Advisory Board to work with the Ministry and cooperate to develop a three-year action plan for youth and migration. This plan should focus on awareness creation, support for education, job creation, and promoting safe, regular migration options.

“The greatest asset of Nigeria is young people, not even the oil and gas. If we give the youth the right tools and opportunities, they will become the drivers of development and growth,” Olawande said.

Meanwhile, Cheikh Touré, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Representative to Nigeria, disclosed that Nigeria remains one of West Africa’s most affected nations for human trafficking and illegal migration, adding, “This Board is about safeguarding Nigeria’s future, protecting talents from criminal networks and creating safe, and legal pathways, so youths can pursue ambitions without risking their lives.”