Deadline: April 18, 2021
The Convergence 4.0 is the largest gathering of young people running for elective office in the 2023 elections in Northern Nigeria.
The Convergence 4.0 will take place physically in Kano State in May 2022 with online participation.
The Convergence series is hosted and organized by Yiaga Africa, Not Too Young To Run movement and supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The Convergence is a space for emerging political leaders who are committed to transformational public leadership to reflect, engage and build generational solidarity in their quest to run for elective office. The conference is designed to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and networks for running effective political campaigns and winning elections. With the inspiration, knowledge, and solidarity The Convergence series provides, young people running for elective office will surmount the challenges of securing party nomination, money politics, and managing electoral operations.
200 young women and men drawn from 18 political parties in Northern Nigeria will be selected and supported to participate in the 3 days event. The Convergence 4.0 is exclusive for young women and men between 25 – 40 years from the seven states in Northern Nigeria.
The Convergence 4.0 is the fourth edition of The Convergence. The first edition of The Convergence held between 10-12 December 2018 in Abuja and brought over 400 young political aspirants from across Nigeria. The second edition of The Convergence took place between 7-9 May 2019 in Abuja and assembled over 250 newly elected young legislators to celebrate their election victory and prepare them for legislative work. The Convergence 3.0 was held on the 9th and 10th December 2021 in Lagos, Nigeria. In total, one hundred and sixty-five (165) young aspirants and politicians participated at The Convergence 3.0. The fourth edition is holding in Northern Nigeria in 2022.
The convergence will feature keynote speeches, conversation-styled sessions and masterclasses/clinics on:
- Ideologically-driven leadership
- Campaign structuring and money politics
- Candidate
- nomination
- Election law and adjudication
- Electoral operations
- Dirty politics
Qualification criteria needed to apply for The Convergence 4.0:
- Age: 25 – 40 years.
- Must be from any of the Northern states and running for office in the North.
- Must be a registered voter.
- Must be a registered member of a political party.
- Submit two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a party leader or an influential member of your party at the ward, local government, state or national level attesting to your membership and active engagement within the party.
