This declaration is an outcome of the National Youth Consultation process, 

tagged "Policy Train" which held in Port Harcourt, Kano and Lagos between 

the 11th and 22nd of October 2020 and was co-ordinated by the Nigerian 

Youth Coalition on ICTs. One hundred and thirteen (113) young Nigerians 

participated in the process, along with over two hundred (200) members of 

the Zaura Babba community of Kano state. 

2.0 Preamble 

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is an initiative of the 

United Nations. It seeks to provide a framework for governments, non-

government organizations and associations, com panies and others. Between the African regional meeting in Bamako and the final preparatory committee meeting in Geneva, Nigerian youths took active roles in the entire process.

Through this declaration, we choose to lend our voice to the emergence and 

conscious establishment of an equitable Information Society that focuses on  people and development above technology and profit. 

3.0 Participants of the Consultation Process: 

3.1 Recognizing:

• That Nigeria holds high potentials within the global Information Society, 
• That Nigeria's youth must take appropriate action in order to safe-
  guard their future,
• The need for Nigeria's youth to get more involved with national level processes within the Information Society,
• The need for government, civil society, academia, private sector and special interest groups to collaborate on efforts that can deliver 
  Nigeria's Information Technology vision.

 3.2 Endorsing:

• ITU Africa 2020 Youth (Forum) Declaration,  Johannesburg. November 
  2020,
• The Bamako 2020 Declaration - African preparatory meeting to the 
  WSIS, Bamako. May 2020,
• The WSIS Youth Africa eConference Final Statement. November 2020
• WSIS Youth Caucus Statements to PrepCom 1,2 and 3,
• Geneva. July 2020 - September 2020,
• Report of Nigeria PrepCom hosted by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and attended by all Nigerian Information Society stakeholders.
  

3.3 Made the following recommendations:

• The need to empower and include youth in national level processes must be pursued to ensure that today's efforts provide the foundation for a sustainable future,
• Awareness on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) - and the role of such in national development
  -  must be embarked upon as a matter of national urgency,
• Since the barrier of ownership remains for majority of the population, access to ICTs must be top priority for government, the private 
  sector and all stakeholders,
• ICTs are major tools for national development, and Nigeria must embrace and take advantage of this opportunity in order  to remain relevant in the emerging information society.

4.0 Declaration

Having considered the aforementioned, along with the opportunities that are 

provided by commitment to the goals of the United Nations Millennium 

Declaration Goals (MDGs) and the New Economic Partnership for Africa's 

Development (NEPAD), we realise that the future of Nigeria and its 

relevance in the Information Society depend on the commitment of all

stakeholders in the present; and in recognition of this, we commit our 

resources to the accelerated involvement of our nation in the global

Information Society. We invite all to do the same.