‘How you dey?’ ‘How na?’ ‘How go dey go?’ ‘How body?’ or ‘How life?’ literally meaning ‘how are you’ (in different shades), is a common expression in the English speaking West African countries of Ghana, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. It represents people’s interest in assessing, everyday life of other members of society. Call it genuine interest …

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Recently there has been a flurry of articles across the Nigerian media spaces which suggest that our youth are a ‘time bomb’ waiting to explode. Some of these articles are based on the notion that our large numbers of uneducated and unemployed youth pose a threat to the nation’s security if urgent steps are not …

Continue reading ‘Demographic time bomb’ or economic opportunity?

Is the impact of youth participation measurable? This was one of the questions posed at a conference on youth participation in international decision-making, which I attended in London during May. My first reaction was, is it possible? But even if it were how could it be ascertained that ‘the impact’ was a result of their …

Continue reading Youth participation: Is its impact measurable?