Nigeria Youth SDGs Network
Nigeria Youth SDGs Network which is registered as the Network of Youth for Sustainable Initiative is a coalition of youth led and youth serving civil society organizations localizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria. It was launched in April 2017 and currently has a presence across the 36 states of Nigeria and Abuja were it is supported by youth champions and more than 3,000 volunteers. The primary goals of the organization is to advocate for meaningful youth engagement in the development of Nigeria by focusing of education and capacity development, employment and livelihoods and  civic participation. The organization with funding from the United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs worked with the International Labour Organization and the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports towards the revision of the Nigeria Youth Employment Action Plan (2021-2024). The organization launched in August 2020 survey to understand the decent work aspirations of young Nigerians in the light of COVID-19 and how they want policymakers to support them. More than 100,000 young people responded to the survey over a six weeks period. This was followed by a youth validation workshop held across the 36 states of Nigeria  and the FCT. The Nigeria Youth Employment Action Plan was launched in September 2021 and is estimated to meet the decent work aspirations of 3.5 million young Nigerians annually. Annually, the organization commemorates the International Youth Day on August 12 and uses that opportunity to showcase youth leading action for sustainable development while providing seed grants for youth social entrepreneurs. The first ever event was held in 2017 with the theme On the Road to Implementation aimed at encouraging young people to collaborate and inspiring private sector and the government to work with youth. In 2018 and 2019, the Youth  Day was held across 21 states in Nigeria with the theme Amplifying Youth Voices. In 2020, with the impact of COVID-19, the organization in partnership with Oxfam in Nigeria provided a grant of three hundred thousand naira ($833) to three organizations. In 2021, the organization supported three organizations in agriculture with seed funding of six hundred thousand naira ($1,666). In a bid to localize the Sustainable Development Goals, the organization created the SDGs Playbook which contains 200 actionable steps that people can take for SDGs action. The organization is currently working with Mastercard Foundation to reduce the spread  of COVID-19 in 25 communities across 10 states in Nigeria. The organization has been recognized by the United Nations as an SDGs Good Practice.