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Inner-City Youth Summit launches leadership academy for grassroots transformation
The Inner-City Youth Stakeholders Summit has opened a new chapter in efforts to empower young people in underserved communities, bringing together church leaders, development practitioners, medical professionals, technology experts and youth advocates to explore practical ways of reaching, engaging and transforming youths at the grassroots.
The summit, held on Monday, August 10, 2026, at the Waterfalls Event Centre, Billings Way, Oregun, Lagos, was organised to provide a platform for stakeholders to examine the challenges confronting young people in inner-city communities and develop practical interventions capable of equipping them for leadership and meaningful community participation.
Earlier in his remark, the organizer of the summit, Pastor Dipo Popoola, said the summit was deliberately designed to bring together individuals with proven experience in ministry, leadership, humanitarian service, healthcare, technology and youth development.
Popoola said the calibre of speakers invited to the summit reflected the organisers’ determination to expose young people to diverse perspectives and practical knowledge that could help them discover their potential and become agents of positive change.
According to him, the summit featured an array of distinguished speakers, including the Prime Minister of Loveworld; the Executive Minister of InnerCity Missions for Children; the Executive Minister of Human Resource Transformation; the Executive Minister of Humanitarian Affairs; the Executive Minister of Teens and Youth; the Loveworld Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Acting Director of Church Growth International; the Chief Medical Director of Loveworld Medical Center; the Managing Director of Qubators Technologies Limited; and the Pastor of Christ Embassy Liberia.
Popoola described the speakers as “amazing brothers and sisters curated in ministry and taking the world by the wind of the Spirit,” adding that their experience and expertise would provide the young participants with practical knowledge beyond conventional classroom learning.
He said the summit was not intended to be another talk shop but a platform where ideas would translate into concrete opportunities for young people in underserved communities.
“We are not gathered here merely to talk about the challenges facing our young people. We are here to identify them, understand them, engage them and provide pathways through which they can become responsible leaders and contributors to their communities,” Popoola said.
He added that empowering youths required more than financial assistance, stressing that young people also needed mentorship, leadership training, skills development, values and opportunities to take responsibility.
Also speaking at the summit, the Executive Minister of Human Resource Transformation, Pastor Lanre Alabi, emphasised the need for innovative approaches to youth engagement, leadership development and community transformation.
Alabi said stakeholders must first understand the realities confronting young people in inner-city communities before designing programmes intended to address their needs.
He said many young people possess enormous potential but require the right environment, guidance and opportunities to transform that potential into meaningful contributions to society.
“Young people cannot be effectively empowered with programmes designed without understanding their realities. We must go to where they are, listen to them, understand their challenges and create opportunities that speak directly to their circumstances,” Alabi said.
He stressed that leadership development should begin early, arguing that young people must be equipped with the values, skills and sense of responsibility required to influence their communities positively
According to him, effective youth transformation must combine personal development, leadership training, community engagement and values-based education.
“We want young people who will not only succeed personally but will also understand that they have a responsibility to their communities. Leadership is about influence, service and the willingness to make a difference,” Alabi added.
One of the major highlights of the summit was the commencement of enrolment of inner-city youths into the LoveWorld Youth Leadership and Transformation Academy.
The academy is designed to provide participating youths with structured opportunities for leadership development, personal growth, community engagement and values-based transformation.
Organisers said beneficiaries would be exposed to leadership principles and practical development programmes aimed at strengthening their capacity to become responsible and impactful leaders.
The initiative is also expected to encourage participating youths to take greater responsibility for the wellbeing and development of their communities while equipping them with the confidence and skills to initiate positive change.
Popoola said the academy represented an important component of the organisers’ broader vision for inner-city youth development.
“Every young person has something valuable to contribute. Our responsibility is to create the environment where that potential can be discovered, developed and deployed. Through the academy, we want to raise young people who will become solutions within their communities rather than merely spectators of the challenges around them,” he sai
Stakeholders at the summit agreed that meaningful youth empowerment requires sustained investment in the capacity, character and leadership development of young people.
They noted that underserved communities often contain young people with considerable talent and ambition but limited access to mentorship, skills development, leadership opportunities and structured support.
The summit therefore provided an opportunity for participants to examine ways of bridging those gaps while creating sustainable platforms through which young people can become active participants in community development.
The organisers expressed optimism that the academy’s enrolment programme would enable them to reach more young people across inner-city communities and provide them with opportunities to develop their leadership potential.
Popoola said the organisers remained committed to expanding the initiative and ensuring that young people were not left behind in efforts to build stronger communities.
“The future of every community is tied to the quality of its young people. If we invest in them today, develop their capacity and give them opportunities to lead, we are investing in the future of our communities and our nation,” he said.
The summit ultimately served as both a forum for discussing the challenges confronting inner-city youths and a launchpad for practical interventions designed to promote their inclusion, leadership development and personal transformation.