Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga
John Iwori
The Federal Government and stakeholders in several sectors of the economy take the issue of unemployment crisis in the country at conference scheduled to hold in Lagos from October 30 to 31, 2012.
The forum, which will also be attended by key business leaders across the economic sectors, is aimed at providing job opportunities for unemployed Nigerians, particularly the youths.
The Federal Government team would be led by the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga and his Labour and Productivity counterpart, Mr. Emeka Wogu.
The stakeholders in conjunction with industry players are to x-ray the problem of unemployment and proffer a roadmap that will help Nigeria attain her Vision 20 2020 with regards to job creation.
According to the Executive Director, Employment Clinic, Ronke Kosoko, organisers of the event, some of the key participants expected at the two- day stakeholders’ conference tagged: The Employment Summit 2012, include: Professor Pat Utomi; Chairman LADOL, Chief Ladi Jadesinmi; Mrs. Ibukun Awosika and Chief Executive of Sahara Energy Group, Mr. Tonye Cole.
Others expected to attend event the Director General(DG), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr. Ziakede Akpobolokemi, DG, National Power Training Institute, Dr. Reuben Okeke; former Commissioner for Transport, Prof. Bamidele Badejo, amongst other business leaders from maritime, shipping, power and energy, oil and gas, and transportation.
Stating the theme of the conference as “Nigeria’s Employment and Human Capital Crisis: Turning the Tide”, Kosoko noted that “Nigeria is obviously at a threshold in its history as a nation, with vast human and natural resources, an economic growth of about 7 percent, influx of private sector investments across all industries, over 40.6 percent of her youths are still however unemployed.”
According to her, the country is also faced with grave security problems, the dearth of skilled personnel continues to threaten industry growth.
“Nigeria today spends N960 billlion annually on the importation of artisans. Our educational system is at an all time low with a growing gap between the school system and the industry, enormous skill gaps across industries. Human Capital is undeniably the greatest asset of every nation and there is an urgent need to balance the right skills with growth opportunity” she stressed.
Kosoko explained that the task of putting 40 million unemployed Nigerians back to work goes beyond an administration.
“It demands the contribution of all stakeholders. The industries, the academia, employers, job seekers, multinationals, NGOs, and religious organizations will be providing thought leadership on the employment situation in the country at the Employment Summit 2012,” she said.
Describing the event as the first ever gathering of the government, policy makers, employers of labour, multinational organizations, training institutions across industries, industry stakeholders, human resource professionals and Nigerian graduates on employment and human capital issues, Kosoko said the conference would expose participants to unimaginable opportunities that exist across industries, especially the maritime and shipping, power, energy, and transport.