Federal Government Partners Global Stakeholders to Empower 20 Million Youths
The Federal Government has officially renamed the Nigerian Youth Economic Engagement and De-Radicalization Programme (NIYEEDEP) to the Youth Economic Intervention and De-Radicalization Programme (YEIDEP) to enhance youth ownership of the initiative.
The announcement followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on February 5, 2025, between the Federal Government and the Nigerian Civil Society and Global Development Partners.
Representing the government, Minister of Youth Development Comrade Ayodele Olawande emphasized that YEIDEP aims to empower youths by creating economic opportunities, reducing unemployment, and fostering entrepreneurship, with over two million youths already registered. Comrade Kennedy Iyere, Founding President of Youths Off The Street Initiative (YOTSI), highlighted the programme’s role in Nigeria’s economic recovery, national security, and social stability, urging global stakeholders to support it. YEIDEP aims to empower 20 million youth farmers and agro-allied entrepreneurs within two years, with financial support from banks such as Fidelity, Keystone, Union, Lotus, Access, UBA, First Bank, Zenith, Wema, Sterling, and JAIZ.
