The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development is to collaborate with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to initiate and implement programmes that would enable youth to realize their potentials for national development, even as the Ministry is committed to actualizing the thematic contents of the National Youth Policy to create champions of youths.

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. *Sunday Dare* made this commitment when the Country Director of the UNFPA, Ms. Ulla E. Mueller paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.

The Minister stressed that the youth policy is well-grounded on education, health, inclusiveness, politics, drug abuse etc which are in sync with the five key areas of UNFPA. ‘’ It is only proper that the Ministry collaborates with UNFPA on key areas to make champions of our youths by providing them opportunities and support to actualize their potentialities.

The Ministry will work with you to sustain the momentum and expected outcome to re-engage and contribute counterpart funding’’, the Minister affirmed.
Towards the actualisation of this mandate, a working Group comprising Officials from the Ministry and UNFPA would be constituted to consider areas of mutual benefits.

The Minister emphasized that efforts will be made to engage the National Bureau of Statistics to create a National Youth Data Base that will provide valuable demographic information on various professions for national youth development.

In her remarks, the Country Representative of UNFPA, Ms. Ulla E. Mueller assured that the international agency would cooperate and collaborate with the Ministry to actualize its vision and mandate for youth and gender development. ‘’To actualize our mandate, we have to work with your Ministry’’.

While acknowledging the purposeful initiatives and programmes of the Ministry to alleviate the socio-economic status of the youths, Ms. Mueller stated that the agency will leverage and synergize on the programmes to address issues of maternal health, safe delivery, youth inclusiveness, HIV and gender based violence among the youths.