Building Labour’s Future: 25 Selected for 2025 Young Workers Leadership Programme in Abuja

Young workers in Nigeria face significant challenges in the workforce, especially when it comes to representation, organizing, and empowerment within trade unions. Due to their age, employment status, and, in the case of women, gender, young workers in Nigeria encounter a number of interrelated obstacles in the workplace. In union structures that are dominated by older members and workers from the formal sector, young people are frequently excluded, leaving those in informal or insecure employment unrepresented. The rights of workers are not well known to many young people, and union ideals and procedures frequently seem archaic or unimportant to them. Young women are further disadvantaged by gender stereotypes, which restrict their leadership potential and fail to address problems like workplace harassment.

According to the Nigeria Labour Force Survey Q3, by the National Bureau of Statistics, the youth unemployment rate was 8.60% in the third quarter of 2023, up from 7.20% in the second quarter. The youth unemployment rate also averaged 22.97% from 2014 to 2023. Many young workers have therefore embraced the informal sector, earning very low wages and lacking social protection. Hence, it would appear that the primary focus of many young workers is survival, rather than active participating in trade union activities. 

According to the Nigeria Labour Force Survey Q3, by the National Bureau of Statistics, the youth unemployment rate was 8.60% in the third quarter of 2023, up from 7.20% in the second quarter. The youth unemployment rate also averaged 22.97% from 2014 to 2023. Many young workers have therefore embraced the informal sector, earning very low wages and lacking social protection. Hence, it would appear that the primary focus of many young workers is survival, rather than active participating in trade union activities. 

While trade unions have traditionally been instrumental in advocating for workers' rights and improving labour conditions, young workers often find it difficult to fully participate in or benefit from union activities. The lack of robust involvement from younger members, particularly those in precarious or informal work, hampers the union's capacity to address their needs effectively.

Young people are critical to the future of trade unionism and to the strength, effectiveness and legitimacy of the trade unions. Youth have a limited understanding of what trade unions mean, neither do they identify strongly with its principles and values and thus often times reject trade unionism. However, when they join the trade unions, they too frequently face difficulty in finding their place in trade union structures and activities. It is crucial that unions respond better in their policies and activities to the needs and expectations of young workers, make them feel welcome and remove the obstacles that prevent their full participation. Unions must create youth-focused committees, expand their organizing efforts to unorganized areas, and use digital platforms to inform and involve young workers in order to promote inclusivity. It is imperative to address gender imbalance through focused initiatives, leadership position quotas, and anti-harassment measures. By adopting creative strategies, unions can empower young workers, amplify their voices, and ensure a more equitable future for Nigeria’s labor movement.

Hence, this project, funded in 2025 by Mondiaal FNV, is designed to increase youth’s active participation, involvement and ability to influence trade unions policies and programmes, by addressing the challenges associated to knowledge, and the structural constraints that limit the emergency of young people in leadership positions within trade unions.

As part of efforts to address these challenges and build a new generation of empowered trade union leaders, 25 young workers have been carefully selected to participate in the inaugural edition of the 2025 Young Workers Leadership Programme. Drawn from diverse trade unions across both the formal and informal sectors, these participants represent a cross-section of Nigeria’s youth workforce, including informal workers, health workers, factory employees, educators, and administrative staff. They range in age from 23 to 35, with a balanced representation of women and men committed to driving progressive change. Many of them have demonstrated leadership potential within their respective unions and communities, and bring with them unique perspectives shaped by their lived experiences of employment insecurity, gender discrimination, and youth marginalization. Their inclusion in this programme marks a critical step toward developing a new cadre of informed, organized, and confident young leaders who can champion the cause of workers' rights and reinvigorate trade unionism in Nigeria.

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