DevNet Monthly Meeting People Against Drug Dependence and Ignorance Matori, Lagos, NIGERIA. 31 July 2003.

1. ICTs and Youth Development ‘Gbenga SesanJunior Achievement of Nigeriawww.janigeria.org| me@gbengasesan.com DevNet Monthly MeetingPeople Against Drug Dependence and IgnoranceMatori, Lagos, NIGERIA. 31 July 2003.

2. OVERVIEW • ICTs: A New Definition • YOUTH: Bridge and Leader • Youth Empowerment and Inclusion • Youth-led and Youth-friendly efforts • Focus on the Lagos Digital Village • Conclusion

3. ICTs: A New Definition Information and Communication Technologies Convergence of Communications, Computers, Consumer Electronics and Content Old and New Media: Town crier, newspapers, radio, television, Internet, 3G mobile phones, GPRS etc ICTs drive the New Economy and has both positive and negative effects, depending on which side of the divide you’re on ICTs can be engaged at all levels to leapfrog and provide a sustainable economy

4. YOUTH: Bridge and Leader Youthfulness promises STRENGTH, ADVENTURE and CONTINUITY Young people form the bridge between today and tomorrow Youths are leaders in ICT policy, processes and application globally If young people are equipped and involved, tomorrow is assured and today is safe – “…area boy turned computer geek!” ICTs are powerful but need human resources – young people form the major percentage of world population

5. Youth Empowerment and Inclusion “Equip an adult and you’ve saved a life, help a young person and you’ve empowered a generation” The concept of peer pressure works in spreading knowledge, e.g. Certifications Involved youth can increase efficiency if empowered, e.g. unique student projects in Nigerian universities Serious nations consider youth empowerment and inclusion a major task/responsibility We need to plug the likely holes that can pluck youths – HIV/AIDS, Unemployment, Poverty, Illiteracy, etc, etc

6. Youth-led and Youth-friendly efforts eGovernance for in-school adolescents in West Africa, DevNet African Youth Initiative, www.ayinitiative.net World Summit on the Information Society Youth Caucus, www.wsis.org, www.ycdo.net/wsis Nigerian Youth Summit on the Information Society Lagos Digital Village, Junior Achievement of Nigeria

7. Focus on the Lagos Digital Village Lagos Digital Village is Junior Achievement of Nigeria’s response to the issue of ICT and Youth Development in Nigeria VISION: A new generation of Nigerian youths who are equipped with appropriate ICT skills and are thus positioned for Personal Development, Nation Building, Regional Cooperation and Global Participation JAN is partnering with Microsoft and Lagos State Government – a multistakeholder partnership model LDV will help train 1,500 youths and connect them with mentors and opportunities

8. CONCLUSION “I see a new Nigeria emerging, one that will be built on the labours of our heroes past, hewn out of the debris of the present waste and engineered by the strength of the future leaders: the youth. These young men and women will adopt Information Technology for the purpose of personal development, nation building, regional cooperation and global participation. They may be unknown today, but in the secrecy of their abode, they master the tool that will change their lives and that of their nation. They're building the nation’s tomorrow today ”