Sabiman Scheme: GOtv Nigeria’s Panacea to Youth Unemployment

During the pandemic last year, a panel led by the Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo on economic sustainability projected that nearly 40 million Nigerians will be unemployed in 2021. In March, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that the unemployment rate in Nigeria increased by 6.2% from the second quarter to the fourth quarter of 2020. This placed Nigeria in the third position on the global list of countries with the highest number of unemployed persons.

To anyone, this news is disheartening. More devastating is the fact that the rate of unemployed youths aged 15 to 24 stood at 53.4% in the fourth quarter, while that of youths aged 25 to 34 was 37.2%.

Nigeria’s active population falls between 15 and 64, thus, mostly are youths who are considered to be the future drivers of the economy.
But if the government fails to employ the youths, or provide an enabling environment for businesses, brain drain is imminent as seen in the medical field where the shortage of doctors is crippling the system.

However, the private sector can play a part in ensuring that the rate of unemployment is stunted. This is where GOtv, a digital terrestrial TV owned by MultiChoice Nigeria comes in.

For five years, GOtv has been creating jobs for hundreds of Nigerians through its Sabiman/Canvasser Scheme. The scheme provides willing young Nigerians with technical training that enables them to resolve various issues related to the GOtv service. The trained youths offer door-to-door services in their assigned neighbourhoods. The services include resolving connection issues and assisting subscribers to renew their subscription through e-payment platforms.

So far, GOtv has employed over 8,000 youths and invested N162 million in the scheme since it began. These youths come from various parts of the country and with GOtv reaching many households in over 20 cities in Nigeria, the number is bound to increase.

While Sabiman focuses on technical skill acquisition, the GOtv Canvasser scheme provides young people with the basic marketing skills to enable them to make GOtv products more accessible to subscribers.

In chats with some of the beneficiaries, it was clear that GOtv Nigeria, through its Sabiman and Canvasser initiatives, has shown its commitment to taking more Nigerians off the unemployment market, enriching them via creative, intellectual and resourceful engagement to become better citizens and entrepreneurs who would in turn, contribute positively to society.

For Titilayo Ogunyemi Taiwo, a GOtv Sabiman who joined the programme in 2013, the training taught him everything he needed to be successful. Taiwo who is currently a coach expressed his gratitude to GOtv Nigeria for the opportunity to grow and achieve financial stability and also have 25 young people working for him.

“Financially, MultiChoice is really trying and I’d be forever grateful to them. The payment is encouraging. My team and I have been able to meet all our needs and that of our family” he said.
Oluwagbemi Sunday, a GOtv Canvasser, said that the initiative has renewed his belief that where there is a will, there is a way.

He said, “I have learnt technical skills in installation and engineering jobs. I have also improved interpersonal skills and learnt how to approach people. Being a canvasser involves highlighting the benefits of the products to customers. This also added to my experience. Today, I am earning a stable income. I only became a canvasser two years ago and MultiChoice, since then, helped me build experience. Armed with all these, I have been empowered by the idea of establishing my own shops to make more money and also work as a canvasser”.

Apart from the schemes, GOtv also has another social-economic empowerment initiative called “Moms and Pops”. The initiative requires a little capital from participants to be GOtv sales agents. What this means is that one doesn’t need to rob a bank to become a GOtv sales agent and make a livelihood from it.

There are about 9,000 dealers who operate the GOtv distribution network and develop local businesses as agents today. Many of these started as installers, who received intensive training in customer relations/sales, which imbued them with skills required in other ventures. They regularly move up the value chain, setting up businesses that employ other young Nigerians, who provide technical support to subscribers.

One may argue that the number pales in comparison to the number of unemployed youths but it is indubitably a commendable step. Imagine if other organisations toe this line, surely, the unemployment situation in Nigeria will not be heartbreaking as it is today. After all, a journey begins with a step and GOtv has already made the first bold move. What remains to be seen is others will replicate and help save our talented unemployed youths.