Youth-Led Peacebuilding and Conflict Governance in Fragile States: Evidence from Nigeria

Youth have increasingly emerged as critical actors in peacebuilding and conflict governance in fragile states, yet their roles remain underexplored within dominant state-centric security frameworks. In Nigeria, persistent conflicts driven by political exclusion, socio-economic inequality, ethno-religious tensions, and weak governance structures have disproportionately affected young people while also positioning them as key agents of peace. Drawing on secondary data from academic literature, policy reports, and documented case evidence, this study examines youth-led peacebuilding initiatives and their contributions to conflict governance in Nigeria. The findings show that youths engage in peace education, community mediation, early warning mechanisms, civic mobilization, and post-conflict reconciliation, despite facing structural marginalization, limited funding, and weak institutional support. The study contributes by reframing youth as proactive peace actors and argues for stronger policy and institutional frameworks to enhance inclusive conflict governance in Nigeria and comparable fragile contexts.