A young person can have a certificate, a technical skill, or a business idea and still struggle to find an opportunity. In many cases, the challenge is not necessarily the absence of opportunities, but knowing where they exist, what they require, and how to access them.

This question came into focus at the 2026 International Youth Day engagement held by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on August 12. The event brought together young people, employers, government institutions, training providers, development organizations, and other stakeholders to explore pathways into employment, entrepreneurship, and skills development.

Held under PIND’s sub-theme, “Empowering Youth Through Career Pathways for Economic Development and Sustainable Peace in the Niger Delta,” the engagement connected young people with industry practitioners and organizations working across different sectors.

For NDLink, which engaged with participants at the event, the conversations raised a broader question: What happens when young people have the skills but lack the information and connections needed to put them to work?

The Information Gap

The transition from education or skills training to employment is rarely straightforward. A graduate may meet the qualifications for a position but never hear about the vacancy. A trained technician may not know which companies are recruiting. An aspiring entrepreneur may be unaware of available funding, markets, or business support. A young person interested in renewable energy may know the sector is expanding, but have little information about how to enter it.

The result is a gap between knowing that opportunities exist and knowing how to access them.

Speaking at the engagement, PIND’s Youth Employment Pathways (YEP) Manager, Patrick Ekpe, emphasized the importance of strengthening pathways that connect young people’s skills to real economic opportunities.

The keynote address by Prof. Ogaga Augustine Aghoghovwia, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Niger Delta University, also provided participants with perspectives on opportunities and career paths in agriculture and the wider economy.

From Skills to Opportunity

The engagement introduced young people to opportunities across ICT and digital entrepreneurship, agriculture and agribusiness, renewable energy, construction and technical trades, fashion, hospitality, and other services.

Rather than focusing only on the sectors themselves, the discussions examined practical routes into them, including internships, apprenticeships, workplace readiness, and entrepreneurship.

The panel session, From Learning to Earning: Connecting Youth to Real Economic Opportunities, brought together perspectives from youth development, recruitment, renewable energy, and Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs). The discussion examined what employers expect from young people and what it takes to move from training into the workplace or enterprise.

Two YEP beneficiaries, Kingsley Erondu and Esther Okoromba, provided a practical perspective by sharing their journeys from skills acquisition to employment and entrepreneurship. Their stories showed how discovering an opportunity, accessing the right support, and applying acquired skills can influence a young person’s career journey.

Making Opportunities Easier to Find

Access to information, however, is only useful when it is credible, relevant, and accessible. Young people increasingly rely on digital platforms to find jobs, training programs, scholarships, fellowships, funding opportunities, and other forms of support. This makes platforms that organize and present such information increasingly important to the youth opportunity ecosystem.

As a regional development knowledge hub, NDLink provides access to opportunities alongside development news, research, and other resources relevant to the Niger Delta. 

Young people looking for their next opportunity can visit NDLink today to find current openings and explore resources relevant to their career and development interests.

Beyond the Celebration

International Youth Day offers an opportunity to recognize the contributions and aspirations of young people, but the issues raised around employment, skills, and access to opportunity extend beyond a single day. For young people across the Niger Delta, the challenge is increasingly about connecting skills with information, information with networks, and networks with opportunity.

As the region’s economy evolves, helping young people find and act on credible information could be an important step towards ensuring that more of them can move from learning to earning and from potential to participation.