The Executive Director, CHEN Teen and Youth Development Initiative, Dr Olushola Oresanya, has stressed the need to equip young people with the knowledge and skills required to thrive in the emerging artificial intelligence (AI) era.
Oresanya said this at the 2026 Abuja Schools Debate Tournament and Seminar on Wednesday in Abuja.
The event, with the theme, “Powering Tomorrow: Are Africa’s Youth Prepared to Lead and Compete in the Global Artificial Intelligence Era?”, brought together students from public and private secondary schools, educators, government officials and development partners.
According to her, the annual debate tournament was designed to provide a platform for young people to discuss issues affecting them and contribute to societal development.
“We created the Abuja Schools Debate Tournament as a platform to get young people engaged in discussions on issues that affect them and society,” she said.
Oresanya said the competition encouraged students to express their views on contemporary issues while developing critical thinking, research and leadership skills.
She added that participants were also trained in public speaking and research before the competition.
According to her, this year’s edition adopted the World Debate Competition format to expose students to international debating standards.
Oresanya said the initiative, organised in partnership with the Davida Omosanmi Empowerment Foundation (DOE Foundation), was aimed at preparing students for global opportunities.
She added that winners would have the opportunity to participate in international debate platforms and gain exposure to global networks.
“The winning students will have the opportunity to compete at the global level and access resources available through international debate platforms,” she said.
Oresanya said the choice of artificial intelligence as the focus of this year’s competition was informed by its growing influence on education, employment and everyday life.
“Artificial intelligence offers enormous opportunities for young people and they need to learn how to engage with it appropriately and ethically,” she said.
Oresanya added that outstanding students would also receive sponsorship to register on an international debate platform.
Also speaking, Director, Education and Social Development, Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Dr Depsan Kwande, said the ministry was implementing programmes aimed at preparing youths for the AI-driven future.
Represented by Mrs Grace Ojeaburu, a deputy ditector in the ministry, said the government recognised the importance of artificial intelligence in education, entrepreneurship and employment generation.
She said the ministry had recently launched initiatives to help youths acquire AI-related knowledge and apply it to agriculture, entrepreneurship and innovation.
According to her, the ministry remains committed to supporting programmes that empower youths with relevant digital and technological competencies.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 20 schools participated in the competition, with Lela Blossoms School emerging winner, while Joachcare Academy and Focus High School placed second and third, respectively.
Cash prizes of N100,000, N70,000 and N50,000 were awarded to the first, second and third-place winners, respectively, in addition to 20 per cent tuition scholarships. (NAN)
