By Jacinta Nwachukwu

The Federal Government has pledged to implement sustained youth-centered policies to end irregular migration and its attendant dangers.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, made the pledge at the closing of the first thematic meeting of the Rabat Process in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports Rabat Process is a key Euro-African dialogue on migration and development.

NAN also reports that Nigeria, the incumbent chairman of Rabat Process, hosted its thematic meeting themed: Youth, Education and Innovation – Driving the Future of Migration, with over 100 delegates from 57 partner countries in attendance.

Yilwatda assured that government would prioritise skills, mobility and dignity, advancing innovation in migration governance, to nip irregular migration in the bud

He described the exploration of youth innovation and education as drivers of sustainable migration systems.

The minister reaffirmed Nigeria’s dedication to lead the Rabat process with empathy, data and integrity, emphasising the need for effective partnerships to achieve the desired migration governance.

“The meeting has addressed the influence of conflict, climate change and economic disparity on migration, emphasising the need for a more just and humane future for migration in Europe and Africa.

“In the meeting, I acknowledge the hard truths about migration, including the global narrative that casts migration in the language of fear and the limited opportunities for young people,” he added.

He said that migration should be seen as legal, dignified and voluntary, with skills shared and youths running towards purpose, rather than from lack.

While appreciating the Kingdom of Spain for its support and partnership, the minister urged the development partners and the private sector to support skills programmes that link education with employability, especially in fragile and climate-affected regions.

He, therefore, called for shared frameworks that recognised qualifications, return talents and open safe pathways for migration.

According to the minister, migration should be seen as the expression of choice, ability and vision, not the consequence of despair.

Yilwatda stressed the need to give youths more than sympathy as they need structures and access.

Speaking in the same veins, Pilar Jimenez, Ambassador-at Large- for Migration Affairs of Spain, promised to keep exploring ways to make more sustainable youths’ participation in the Rabat process.

Jimenez noted that there was need to move from inclusion to the co-creation of a space of dialogue in migration governance.

“The representatives of the Nigerian youth said that they are a part of a solution. I think that youths are the solution.

“Youth is the driver of the future, and the future just started here in Abuja within the Rabat process,” she added. (NAN)