With the advent of the 2019 Presidential and Gubernatorial elections in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, this project engages the political power of youth in both rural and urban areas through community-based outreaches, and above- and below-the-line marketing. The project aims to increase youth participation in the electoral process and to develop a culture of issues based voting (instead of prevalent sentimental, ethnic and religious voting).

To date, the project has executed an online voters registration drive campaign through e-mail and social media, and engaged more than 500 young people--one-on-one--in Abuja (the capital city) at a music festival that hosted more than 2,000 youth. The project plans to host debates and town hall meetings with young political aspirants and other political candidates. Community outreaches are planned for secondary schools and universities to sensitise young people reaching the eligible age of voting to the power of their votes. Grassroots activation in rural and peri-urban communities that includes training of youth leaders on how to engage their constituencies on critical thinking with regards the proposals of political aspirants is also planned. The anticipated impact of the project includes the following: an increase in the number of eligible youth who are registered to vote; an increase in the number of youth who are well-versed in the issues that distinguish various political candidates; an increase in the knowledge of youth on how to join political parties and how to successfully engage and lobby political leaders; and increase in the number of young people who actually join political parties at the grassroots. Ultimately the goal is to have young leaders go from participation in politics, to inclusion in political office, and then to seeing themselves running for office based on an understanding of responsive and responsible leadership.