Empowering Youth through Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies: Contextual Analysis and Design Framework for a Youth Resource Centre in Owerri

Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) capitalises on such technologies as AI and blockchain to empower young people in urban areas. The paper is a proposal of 4IR-driven youth resource centre in Owerri, Nigeria, to tackle youth unemployment and urban restlessness (>70%). The centre can be integrated with the master plan of Owerri, as it combines the concepts of inclusive urbanism and visual computing (e.g. visualisation of urban analytics using AI), which promotes better spatial equity and accessibility. Results indicate the 4IR training might decrease criminal activities by half by providing employment, and with the support of African tech hubs such as Konza Technopolis. Urban planning is optimised through AI and IoT visualisations. It is recommended that policy reforms and partnering with stakeholders should be implemented to improve urban resilience.