Nine months after it was domesticated, the Enugu State government and its partners, South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO) have begun a review of the state’s youth policy to deepen understanding and improve implementation of its frameworks.

Speaking at a Stakeholders’ engagement that drew representatives of youths from the 17 local governments of the state, SSDO’s Head of Programmes, Udochukwu Egwim, explained that the policy domesticated in August last year, remains valid until 2029.

He stated that the review was not to “input new ideas into the policy” , but to get the youths and various ministries, departments and agencies more acquainted with its provisions and their responsibilities so as to fast track better implementation.

“This policy has been domesticated since August 2025. But we want to look at the sequence. We want to look at what can be drawn out from the frameworks to ensure that all the parties are able to know their roles, that the young people are able to know the provisions of the policy and also understand how to engage with the policy.

“We know that the government put in a lot of effort, a lot of resources with the Development Partners to develop this document. So we are looking at how to ensure that the people who own this policy (youths) also understand how to engage with it. We also have ministries, department and agencies, we want to make them understand their roles and to understand that this document does not belong to one ministry alone”, he said.

Egwim, said the programme, supported by the ActionAid Nigeria and the Danish International Development (DANIDA), was timely and targeted at preparing the youths for the 2027 budget cycle.

He lamented the absence of effective reporting structures to monitor implementation of the policy, stressing that local governments and ministries were expected to submit reports on youth-related programmes to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

“We cannot accurately assess progress because reporting mechanisms have not been fully operationsed”, he stated.

President of the Enugu State Youth Parliament, Chibuike Okechi, described the policy as an important document that addressed issues affecting youths of Enugu State, stressing that the engagement would further throw more on how the youths would benefit from it.

He added that the platform would also unite the youths on finding solutions to challenges affecting them in their different communities.
Also, a Director in the State Ministry of Youth and Sports, Chidinma Ezezuo, expressed satisfaction that the state government could approve a youth policy for the state, stressing it was indication that it was interested in their welfare.

“Before now, we relied on the national policy to implement youth programmes, but today, we are using the Enugu State policy, which makes the implementation easier and more effective. With a platform now created to deepen its understanding, I believe, the youths will benefit more from the government”, she stated.