Economic Summit: Building youth empowerment on entrepreneurial skill

Economic Summit: Building youth empowerment on entrepreneurial skill : Debo Oladimeji

• Date 25-01-2022

Nigerian youths have been advised not to let lack of finance be an impediment to their ability to build successful businesses, create wealth and contribute their quota to the society. Even much more important in the quest for self-realisation are such other factors as skill, training, continuous learning, being aware of their surroundings and what obtains globally in the business world, among others. The onus is on young Nigerians to ensure they take control of their lives and do the needful to achieve their dreams.

However, meaningful progress in this regard can only be made, when the necessary support is provided by government and relevant stakeholders, including the corporate sector and well-meaning individuals, who have a vital role to play in the process. This was the core of the message delivered by resource persons and government officials at the first Lagos Island Economic Summit with the theme: Sustainable Youth Engagement and Development, organised by the Lagos State Office of the Sustainable Development Goals and Investment (OSDGI) and Lagos Island Connect (LIC) in Lagos. The corporate society, especially the big banks that have head offices on Lagos Island, were urged to support Lagos Island youths to become not only more responsible, but also more response-able and equipped to take advantage of the opportunities that abound for those with the right education, skills, attitudes and mindset. The Chief Executive Officer, FUZU Ltd, Mr. Jussi Hinkkanen, set the tone for the exhaustive conversation, when he argued that youths very often don’t have the role models around them that could provide them with the way forward or they do not have access to educational system and finance, as ought to be the case. Employers are also not always opening the doors for young ones.

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