YOUTH, TECHNOLOGY AND PARTNERSHIP: LUKMAN URGES AFRICAN YOUTHS TO BUILD A BORDERLESS GENERATION

Former West Africa Youth Parliament Speaker delivers keynote address at 2026 International Youth Day celebration in Abuja

By Poet of Afrique Reporter

ABUJA, NIGERIA — August 12, 2026: A former Speaker of the West Africa Youth Parliament, Hon. Comrade S. A. Lukman, has called on young Africans to harness technology, embrace strategic partnerships and move from being mere consumers of innovation to becoming creators of solutions capable of transforming the continent.

Lukman made the call while serving as Guest Speaker at the 2026 International Youth Day Celebration of the West Africa Youth Parliament, held at the Nigeria Army Resource Centre, Asokoro, Abuja.

The programme was organised under the theme: “Youth Advancing Multilateral Cooperation Through Technology and Partnerships.”

Lukman, who previously served as a Regional Speaker of the organisation during his active years in youth and student activism, described his return to the platform as a former leader as a moment of honour and reflection.

He expressed appreciation to the incumbent Speaker of the West Africa Youth Parliament, Amb. Olasukanmi John Kolawole, for inviting him to serve as Guest Speaker.

Delivering his speech titled “Youth, Technology and the Power of Partnership: Building a Borderless Generation,” Lukman said the rapidly changing world required a corresponding transformation in youth leadership.

According to him, technology has significantly reduced the relevance of geographical borders in the movement of information, ideas, innovation and opportunities.

He cited the possibility of a young entrepreneur in Abuja collaborating with a software developer in Accra, a researcher in Nairobi and an investor in London without leaving the country as evidence of the growing power of digital connectivity.

He, however, cautioned that technology alone could not transform society, stressing that while technology provides the tools, partnerships provide the strength required to deploy those tools effectively.

From Consumers to Creators

Lukman urged African youths to move beyond consuming technologies developed elsewhere and begin creating innovative solutions to African challenges.

He challenged young people to move from “scrolling to creating, complaining to solving, consuming to innovating, and competing destructively to collaborating strategically.”

He encouraged youths to consider how technology could be deployed to improve education, agriculture, healthcare, employment creation, transparency, accountability and access to global markets.

According to him, these are the questions that should shape the next generation of African leadership.

Partnership as a New Source of Power

The former parliamentarian maintained that no individual, institution or nation could independently solve the complex challenges confronting the world in the 21st century.

He identified climate change, unemployment, insecurity, poverty, digital inequality, migration, food security and economic development as challenges requiring collective action and multilateral cooperation.

Lukman called on African youth organisations to build bridges across countries, cultures, institutions, political boundaries and professional disciplines.

He urged young Nigerians, Ghanaians, Sierra Leoneans, Liberians, Gambians and other Africans to view one another as partners rather than rivals.

“We are Africans before we are competitors. Our greatest strength lies in our ability to transform our diversity into a network of shared opportunities,” he said.

Leadership Beyond Positions

Lukman also advocated a new model of youth leadership based on vision, competence and collaboration.

He said modern leadership was no longer measured by the number of people an individual could command but by the ability to connect, inspire, empower and mobilise people towards a common purpose.

He urged young leaders to build partnerships beyond political, ethnic, religious and national boundaries, stressing that meaningful development requires collective effort.

Technology Must Serve Humanity

While encouraging young people to embrace emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, blockchain and robotics, Lukman emphasised that technology must always serve a human purpose.

He argued that the true measure of technological advancement should be determined by its impact on human lives.

According to him, technological development should contribute to better education, poverty reduction, expanded opportunities, stronger institutions and the empowerment of vulnerable communities.

From Youth Participation to Youth Power

Lukman challenged governments, development organisations, private institutions and international partners to move beyond merely inviting young people to conferences and events.

He called for meaningful youth participation in decision-making, policy formulation, innovation and implementation.

He equally challenged young people to demonstrate readiness for greater responsibility through competence, integrity, discipline and service.

“Young people must move from participation to partnership; from partnership to influence; and from influence to leadership,” he said.

“Do Not Wait for Permission to Become Useful”

In a direct message to young Africans, Lukman urged them not to wait for political office, wealth or recognition before contributing to society.

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Build partnerships. Solve problems,” he urged.

He described the smartphone as a potential classroom, office, laboratory, marketplace and instrument of social change, depending on how young people choose to use it.

Building a Borderless Generation

Concluding his address, Lukman said the future of Africa would not be built by governments alone but through partnerships among governments and citizens, institutions and innovators, technology and human ingenuity, and young people across national borders.

He urged the continent's youth to build a generation where technology connects rather than isolates people and where partnerships transcend geographical and political boundaries.

He declared:

“Our technology must connect us. Our partnerships must strengthen us. Our leadership must unite us. And our collective vision must transform Africa.”

He further called on West African youths to stop viewing national borders merely as barriers and begin seeing them as bridges to shared opportunities.

The Guest Speaker ended his address by wishing the West Africa Youth Parliament, Nigerian youths and African youths continued success and impact.

Hon. Comrade S. A. Lukman is a former Speaker of the West Africa Youth Parliament and a Leadership Development Consultant.

PHOTO CAPTION

Hon. Comrade S. A. Lukman, former Speaker of the West Africa Youth Parliament and Guest Speaker at the organisation's 2026 International Youth Day Celebration, delivering his keynote address on “Youth, Technology and the Power of Partnership: Building a Borderless Generation” at the Nigeria Army Resource Centre, Asokoro, Abuja.