LJLA: Developing the Exact Formula for Youth Leadership Development 

Zainab Aderounmu

September 15, 2026

I attended the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy’s Graduation Ceremony last week, and the thought just struck me; “this is it!” The LJLA might just have hacked the formula for Nigeria’s youth development. 

The LJLA is a residential training academy by the Lagos State Government, and they graduated the third cohort while inducting the fourth cohort. In that room, so many light bulb moments hit me. The first was that any country, institution or person who’s serious about youth development, must first be extremely passionate. I say this because, it’s not the easiest niche, but also because of how much passion and conviction the Executive Secretary, Mrs Ayisat Agbaje-Okunade,visibly pours into the academy. It’s in the way she speaks, it’s in the way she works, it’s in everything.

I could say that the passion and conviction trickled down from the Governor, who opened the doors of government to young people and allowed himself to be used for impact, like Mrs A mentioned in her speech. That’s the first ingredient in the formula. Nigeria cannot afford to pay lip service to youth development anymore, with over 70% of the youth population. It’s non-negotiable. 

Beyond that, there must be several pathways for youth development. A serious institution must consistently think of how to reach more young people. LJLA began as a residential fellowship for 30 fellows, but it has reached millions of young people across Nigeria, through its annual Leadership Summit, its Local Government-based training and virtual leadership seminars. I loved how the Academy, led by the ES, took Lagos to Abuja, in the Abuja Dialogue on youth inclusion and development. It’s scale. How can Nigeria provide youth development in different formats on a large scale? Collaboration answers that question. 

Youth inclusion and development can’t be achieved without inter ministerial collaboration because young people operate in every industry and niche. I particularly love this strategy because I’ve seen it work in Helsinki, Finland with their Ohjaamo programme. It’s a weekly open service where young people can walk into the youth centers and directly ask questions about education and career development. Ohjaamo provides training and even internship opportunities for these young people to explore before making a definitive career choice. In fact, formal education isn’t only the pathway. With institutions like the Taitotalo in Finland, young people can undergo industrial training that’s equivalent to college degrees. 

The LJLA demonstrates collaboration by carrying everyone along, literally. Miniseries, private organisations and individuals, local governments, Royal houses in Lagos, and even international organisations like the School of Policy in Singapore. 

Ultimately, it just has to be done. Africa is fast positioned as the future of the world. With the true reflection of our map, and our teeming youth population, it’s bound to happen, and Nigeria is at the center for many reasons, especially our largest youth population. Companies, and serious institutions must take training young people seriously. Kudos to Olaniwun Ajayi Legal Partners for taking their Blue Internship Experience seriously, but it must move beyond internships to industry-wide collaboration. 

Finally, Mrs A spoke about the “joy of being used”, and that stuck with me. There’s a joy that comes with working for a cause bigger than you, with laying a legacy or just making the world a better place. While “being used” has different connotations for me as a young person, it definitely evokes joy when done in the right contexts and for the right reasons. So dear people in power, allow yourselves to be joyfully used for the impactful work of youth development. Open the doors, and democratise access. 

About Author

Zainab Aderounmu A. W.

Zainab ADEROUNMU A. W. is a First Class graduate of English Language and the Overall Best Graduating Student from the Lagos State University, Lagos Nigeria. She’s a professional Master of Ceremonies, known as The Hijabi Compere , a public speaking coach and Communications Professional. She is currently a Youth advisor to the European Union where she doubles as the Spokesperson and Head of Communications & PR for the Youth Sounding Board.