csrreporters 
The House of Representatives Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has called for urgent, coordinated action to address the exclusion of millions of Nigerian youths from the digital economy, stressing that CSR must evolve into a strategic driver of national development.
Speaking at a Diplomatic CSR Roundtable held in Abuja on Wednesday, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vice Chairman of the Committee, Afolabi Afuape, lamented that despite Nigeria’s growing youth population, many young people remain cut off from access to digital skills, technology, and opportunities critical to the 21st-century economy.
“We must begin to see CSR not as charity or tokenism, but as a tool to close Nigeria’s digital gap and strengthen communities,” Afuape said. “Harnessed properly, CSR can expand digital literacy, advance AI-powered skills, promote financial inclusion, and build lasting trust between nations and institutions.”
He highlighted the #CSR4DEV initiative, a national programme designed to leverage partnerships with embassies, the private sector, international agencies, and government institutions to co-create solutions around skills development, financial inclusion, and institutional capacity-building.
The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, represented by Director Abdulrahman Terab, commended the initiative, stressing the vital role of the diaspora in national development. She cited the BRIDGE Initiative and the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit as examples of how remittances, investments, and knowledge transfer from the diaspora are strengthening education, healthcare, agriculture, and fintech in Nigeria.
She also noted that philanthropic organisations, including the Nigerians in Diaspora UK Foundation and the Zumunta Foundation, continue to support ICT programmes and medical outreach projects across communities.
In his remarks, House Committee on Public Petitions Chairman, Kwamoti Bitrus Lao’ri, threw his weight behind the creation of a Nigerian Corporate Social Responsibility Fund, saying it would institutionalise CSR contributions and ensure transparency, accountability, and measurable impact.
“The #CSR4DEV initiative and a CSR Fund represent bold steps to make corporate responsibility central to sustainable development, equity, and prosperity,” Lao’ri said.
The Roundtable underscored a shared commitment among lawmakers, the private sector, international agencies, and the diaspora to use CSR as a transformative tool for bridging digital exclusion and accelerating inclusive development in Nigeria.