Tapping goldmine in the ‘waste’
By Amechi Obiakpu
“Make your withdrawal”, “transfer”, “P.O.S (Point of Sale)” rented the Iyana Ipaja bus stop in quick succession. The harmonious rendition sounded like a well-coordinated orchestra. But, for the location one would have mistaken it for a church choir. Alas, it was not, but a group of averagely young people trying to make a living by offering money transfer services to people who need cash for the day’s activities.
Like in Iyana Ipaja, so is it in various locations. Many young people have adopted different legal means to eke a living. Akin to the biblical injunction of ‘whatever your hands find to do, do it diligently”, many of them from low beginning have gone ahead to create opportunities not just for themselves and also to engage others. However, a few others are not so lucky.
According to nigerianyouthsdgs.org, Nigeria has one of the highest youth populations in the world, with 1.6 billion young people, accounting for 70 per cent of the country’s population. This ever-growing youth population presents a unique opportunity for economic growth and development if properly harnessed.
Despite the vast potential of the youth population, the organization said unemployment remains a significant concern for Nigeria and its citizens. Citing the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics Q3 2023 data, youth unemployment increased from 15.5 per cent in Q2 to 17.3 per cent in Q3.
Medium, an online portal, says, despite facing numerous challenges such as lack of access to education, job opportunities, poverty, and inequality, Nigerian youth have been able to rise and create successful businesses and make a real impact in the world.
They have been active in different fields such as entertainment, Information technology, and real estate.
Corroborating the Medium report, the UNDP says, today’s 1.45 billion young people (aged 18 to 29), the largest youth generation ever, are actively shaping the world. They are digitally connected, passionate about bringing change, and increasingly driving social, political, and economic progress in their local communities and beyond.
However, significant challenges remain. Young people, in particular young women and girls, face disproportionate obstacles across the globe. In many countries, young people face exclusion based on their age, often intersecting with other forms of marginalization linked to gender, location and background, undermining development and social cohesion. Across the world, outdated norms continue to sideline and silence youth, denying them of their rights and crucial role in shaping and implementing policies and decisions that affect them and future generations.
According to experts, the strength of any nation has a direct correlation with the contribution of the youth demography. Any nation that wants its future to be sustained must pay particular attention to this group.
What experts say
Opeoluwa Adepoju McPlenty, Head Production, MSwitch Media, believes that talents abound in the country but all that is lacking are platforms for youth to showcase their creativity.
Speaking in a recent programme on the theme, “Sustainable pathway to job creation and positioning Nigerian creatives for a global post production demand”, he pointed that creating adequate creative hubs was the antidote to the problems of youth unemployment.
Taking a slightly different path, the Managing Director of APT Securities and Funds ltd, Kasimu Garba Kurfi, called for role model figure for the youth as a way of leadership by example.
“Success attracts success, so in my opinion, having someone to emulate is one of the easiest ways to become successful. What we can do is to have role models they can emulate be it in business or any field, follow their examples and they will become successful,” he said.
Similarly, Dr. Femi Idowu Adegoke, an entrepreneur calls for deliberate intention in harnessing the potential of the youth. “As a nation we have not been deliberate in planning for our younger generation, especially the youths and that is the reason we have a sizable portion of the youth being idle”.
According to him, there is the need to have a strategic plan for the youth by ensuring a wholistic educational system that does not only look at academia but technical and soft skills. That need to be brought into the curriculum to create an environment for the system to thrive”.
Bola Agunbiade MD, Avail International Consult on her part said much can be achieved if the potential of the youths is utilized. She attributed this to so many barriers among which are inadequate support for entrepreneurship, social and cultural barriers pointing that, efforts are needed to address these challenges and create opportunities for young people to contribute more effectively to nation building.
“To unleash the full potential of Nigeria’s youth demographic and enhance their contribution to the nation and the world a lot of factors have to be considered: Invest in education and skills development; support for entrepreneurship with funding and mentorship; addressing unemployment through job creation; empower youth participation in decision-making; promote gender equality in education and workforce; improve infrastructure for economic activities; encourage innovation and technology adoption.
She called on the government to create an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs by providing access to funding, business support services, mentorship, and networking opportunities to nurture and scale innovative ideas.
This she said will “encourage creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among young people through educational curriculum reforms, innovation hubs, and mentorship programs”.
“The government should allocate resources to support research and development initiatives that focus on fostering innovation and creating solutions to local and global challenges, thus encouraging a culture of innovation among Nigerian youths.
“Improve infrastructure, such as reliable electricity and internet connectivity, and streamline regulatory processes to reduce barriers to innovation and entrepreneurship in Nigeria.
“By implementing these strategies and creating a conducive ecosystem that fosters innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity, Nigeria can reverse the trend of the “JAPA syndrome” and build confidence in the ability of its youth to drive positive change, create global brands, and contribute to the nation’s development and prosperity.
Intervention
As a way of empowering youths toward nation building, Nestle Nigeria is partnering with various organization to afford youths with various opportunities and the right skillset to become assets to the communities and nation at large.
One of the programs the beverage giant has done this is through its collaboration with the REVAMP Africa Youth Leadership Mentoring Programme.
This initiative which targets young people from an early age is designed to instill in them the right values, skills and attitudes requisite for success and positive personal development.
The Youth Leadership Mentoring Programme, which kicked off in June 2023 reached directly over 12,000 enthusiastic and motivated young leaders from 23 public secondary schools across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.
Key achievements and outcomes of the implemented national youth leadership training programme included distribution of free educational materials, skills development, mentoring, improved academic performance, positive behavioural changes, and leadership development.
Participants engaged in a series of dynamic workshops over a 4-week period that covered critical leadership skills such as Values/Morality, Goal Setting, Time Management, Interpersonal Skills, Class Participation Techniques, and other essential leadership topic. The hands-on approach facilitated a profound transformation in the participants’ ability to lead themselves effectively.
The mentorship component of the programme proved to be a cornerstone of success. About 500 mentors from REVAMP Africa and 280 staff members of Nestlé Nigeria played a pivotal role in guiding the young ones how to succeed in their personal and academic pursuits. Sharing insights, real-life experiences and close follow-up helped to create memorable and meaningful connections that lingered beyond the duration of the programme.
According to media report, the positive feedback from participants, mentors, and school leaders was amazing and overwhelming as participants expressed increased confidence, a greater sense of purpose, and a commitment to continued personal and community development.
The Nestlé needs YOUth initiative is another platform the global brand is equipping young people for the future. According to Nestle website, more than five million young people have been reached so far through the program.
In 2023, the lifestyle brand commemorated ten years of Nestlé needs YOUth, to help young people gain access to economic opportunities by 2030 through employment and employability, Agripreneurship and entrepreneurship.
Already, according to Nestle’s website 10807 individuals benefited from the apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities in 2023 as against 11,495 individuals in 2022.
The number of individuals in the young farmers trained through the Nestlé Agripreneurship program in 2023 peaked at 8464 individual beneficiaries, while Young people impacted through digital events that focus on upskilling young people and make them more employable were 1,393,147 individuals in the year 2023 as against 1,415,687 individuals in the year 2022.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the strength of any nation is a factor of the contributions of substantially, the youth bracket. And, if that must be achieved, emphasis must be put in shaping this group so that their contributions can be ascertained in growing the economy of any nation.
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