Despite the many advances in technology, healthcare, education, and economy world wide, it is tragic to note that most of the world's population of young people still live in very poor conditions.

And the situation will continue to worsen. The population projections for developing regions depict that there will be exponential increases in total population within the next 50-100 years. Nigeria is expected to move from being the 6th most populous country in the world to the 4th. This demographic trajectory is similar for many other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and in parts of Asia. The reality therefore is that the existing huge population of young people reside largely within these poor resource conditions and their situation will continue to worsen.

Young people within these countries have the least favorable health outcomes in the world, and their youth have the least employment opportunities. These young people, particularly the girl child, have the least access to education.d. Education which in many cases are substandard compared to that of their western contemporaries. These facts are indeed frightening!

The implications on the youth within these developing countries are obvious. They will be ill-equipped to prosper and contribute meaningfully to the development of their countries unless timely and targeted interventions are applied to address the challenges confronting them. The sub-par trajectory at the moment could mean that any potential prosperity stemming from their future ability to become a great work force may not be achieved and harnessed for sustainable development.