A conversation with...Ibrahim Mohammed, MP, Nigeria

Raphael Igbokwe, MP in the Nigerian Federal House of Representatives, President of the Forum of Young MPs in Nigeria and a former member of the IPU’s Forum of Young Parliamentarians, inaugurates the section. The IPU interviewed Raphael Igbokwe on the

Young people are vastly under-represented in political decision-making. Although 51 per cent of the world’s population is under 30, young people under 30 make up less than 2 per cent of the world’s MPs. This is largely due to laws

A group of young parliamentarians from Nigeria travelled to Ghana on 27 November to help their counterparts set up a forum of young MPs. This sharing of best practices followed on from the IPU Regional Conference of Young Parliamentarians of Africa, which took place from 27 to 28 September in Abuja. The conference inspired young MPs from Ghana to set up their own forum and they called upon their Nigerian peers for support.

“We have heard enough talk, it is time to step up efforts and take strong and bold action now!” With these words in the outcome document, young MPs at the Regional Conference of Young Parliamentarians of Africa declared their determination to increase the number of young people in parliament. IPU research shows that although young people under 30 make up approximately 70 per cent of the African population, they make up less than 1.5 per cent of all MPs. The Regional Conference, was co-organized by the IPU and the Parliament of Nigeria in Abuja, Nigeria, on 27 and 28 September 2017 and was attended by 200 participants from 15 countries.

For democracy to be effective, decision-making must be inclusive. Involving young people gives them a sense of ownership of public affairs and strengthens public policy. To galvanize action for youth political participation, the IPU and the Parliament of Nigeria convened the Regional Conference of Young Parliamentarians of Africa, the first of its kind, on 27 and 28 September in Abuja, Nigeria

Launched in April 2021, the IPU’s I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament! campaign continued to yield results in 2023. Inviting parliamentarians and others to sign up for six key pledges, the campaign aims to correct the significant under-representation of