Nigeria Shines At African Union Summit.

By Good luck Ikiebe.

Foreign news.

Nigeria's Sports and Youth Development Minister, Mr. Sunday Dare, has reiterated the Federal Government's commitment to the development of youth, especially in the area of skills acquisition and digital training.

This is to continually empower them to compete favorably with their counterparts globally. 

Dare gave the assurance, shortly after the 4th Specialised Technical Meeting on Youth, Culture, and Sports (STC-YCS-4) held at the African Union Headquarters,  Addis Ababa,  Ethiopia. 

The Minister stated that the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration to youth development in the country has again resulted in Nigeria's elevation at the African Union Summit.

He stated that "Experts from African Union Member States deliberated on the progress made on the implementation of the STC-YCS-3 earlier held in Algiers, Algeria in October 2018, the theme of the event, as well as on specific issues about the three (3) sectors."

The Minister added that "after due consultation amongst Members States of the region present, Nigeria was elected as the representative of the Western Region to serve as the 1st Vice-Chairperson of the Bureau STC-YCS 4."

Dare, who was represented at the Summit by his Special Assistant on ICT, Ann Kemi Areola, noted further that "in discharging her first duty as the 1st Vice Chairperson of the Bureau,  Nigeria successfully chaired the culture parallel session at the Summit".

According to him, the 4th Specialized Technical Meetings on Youth, Culture, and Sports (STC-YCS-4), has as its theme, "AU at 60: Unlocking and Scaling Innovation for AfCFTA Implementation through Youth, Culture, and Sports."

He explained that the Experts Meeting for the STC-YCS-4 parallel sessions was held along the Youth, Culture, and Sports thematic areas, adding that the Experts also deliberated and drafted the final reports on recommendations that were presented to African Union Ministers at the Ministerial meeting, which was held on Friday, 26th May 2023 at the  AU Headquarters,  Addis Ababa.

Dare, who commended the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari, for his doggedness in ensuring youth empowerment in the country, called on the teeming youth to continue to support policies and programs of the Federal Government, especially of the incoming administration even as the present administration winds down.

Edited by Dada Ahmed.