August 24, 2026
Youth
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA— A new policy analysis has warned that the fast-growing gambling industry in low-income areas of Nigeria, Ghana, and Sierra Leone is worsening economic hardship for young people and may be driving increased debt, youth unrest, and certain kinds of crime.
Betting shops have become a common sight in slums, motor parks, and informal settlements across West African cities, the analysis by Joshua Biem, Senior Policy and Research Analyst at Nextier, and Olive Aniunoh, Legal, Policy and Research Consultant at Nextier, found.
