In conversations about transforming food systems, one phrase appears repeatedly: “We must include youth.” In Nigeria, this has become almost standard language across policy dialogues, donor-funded programs, and stakeholder platforms. Yet beneath this well-meaning inclusion lies an underrated and rarely discussed issue, the tokenization of youth through symbolic representation, particularly via “youth seats.”
At first glance, assigning a “youth representative” to a committee or task team appears progressive. It signals inclusivity, diversity, and intergenerational dialogue. But in practice, this approach often reduces young people to checklist participants rather than decision-makers.
Nigeria has one of the largest youth populations in the world. Yet, in many national or state-level food systems platforms, youth are represented by a single individual, sometimes two, if the organizers are feeling generous.
This raises critical questions:
- Can one person truly represent the diversity of youth across agriculture, technology, nutrition, policy, and grassroots farming?
- Who selects this individual, and based on what criteria?
- What mechanisms exist for accountability back to the broader youth population?
More often than not, the “youth representative” becomes a symbolic figure, invited to meetings but excluded from real influence. They are present in photos, listed in reports, but absent from key decisions.
The Structural Reality: Where Decisions Are Actually Made
Beyond stakeholder platforms, there is a deeper, often ignored layer of tokenism embedded within Nigeria’s governance system itself.
In the contemporary civil service, real decision-making power is concentrated within the Assistant Director to Director cadre. These are experienced officials who shape policy drafts, control technical inputs, and determine what eventually gets approved or discarded.
It creates a systemic barrier for youth participation in actual decision-making.
Young professionals, no matter how qualified, innovative, or engaged, rarely occupy these positions. As a result:
- Youth contributions are filtered through senior bureaucratic layers
- Innovative ideas may be diluted or deprioritized
- Engagement remains consultative, not authoritative
This means that even when youth are “included” in external stakeholder dialogues, the internal machinery of government decision-making remains largely inaccessible to them.
When Inclusion Becomes Performance
This dual reality, symbolic inclusion externally and structural exclusion internally, creates what can be called performative engagement.
In Nigeria’s food systems landscape, this shows up in subtle but powerful ways:
- Youth representatives are invited late into processes, after key decisions have already been drafted
- Their contributions are acknowledged verbally but rarely reflected in final policy documents
- They are expected to speak broadly on “youth issues,” regardless of their expertise
- Meanwhile, final decisions are shaped within civil service hierarchies where youth are absent
The result is a system where youth participation is visible, but not impactful.
The Deeper Cost
Tokenism doesn’t just affect young people, it weakens the entire food system.
Nigeria’s food system faces complex challenges: climate variability, post-harvest losses, nutrition gaps, and land access constraints. Young people are at the center of many of these issues, as farmers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and policy advocates.
When their engagement is superficial:
- Innovative solutions are lost
- Policy relevance declines
- Trust in institutions erodes
Most importantly, it reinforces the idea that youth voices are optional, not essential.
Moving Beyond the “Seat”
To address this, we must rethink what meaningful youth engagement looks like, not just in stakeholder rooms, but within governance systems themselves.
- From Representation to Participation
Youth should not just occupy seats, they should be embedded across working groups, technical teams, and policy drafting processes. - Bridging the Civil Service Gap
Create structured pathways for young professionals to contribute directly to policy design, through fellowships, secondments, and advisory roles within ministries. - Diversity Over Singularity
Engagement must reflect the diversity of Nigeria’s youth ecosystem, across regions, genders, disciplines, and value chain roles. - Structured Feedback Loops
Youth representatives must have systems to consult, engage, and report back to broader youth networks. - Power, Not Presence
True inclusion means giving youth the authority to influence outcomes, not just the opportunity to speak.
A Shift Worth Making
Nigeria has already demonstrated leadership in bringing youth into food systems conversations. The next step is deeper: moving from visibility to influence, and from access to authority.
Because the future of food systems will not be shaped by who was in the room, but by who had the power to decide.
