Firms Unite to Equip Youths with Employability Skills

Uchechukwu Nnaike

As part of efforts to tackle unemployment and insecurity in Nigeria, five organisations have formed an alliance to provide mentorship for youths and equip them with entrepreneurial skills.

The Global Alliance for Youth Nigeria was launched to commemorate this year’s International Youth Day, comprising Nestle Nigeria, Jobberman Nigeria, Big Bottling Company, Sterling One Foundation and United Nations Global Compact Network Nigeria.

It plans to reach 250,000 youths between 16 and 35 years in the next three years. The group said the alliance became necessary because, with 62 per cent of the population below 25 years, Nigeria has one of the highest youth populations in the world.

“According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, as of the second quarter of 2020, over 13.9 million young Nigerians were unemployed. Millions are also underemployed or in uncertain jobs,” it said.

Speaking at the alliance launch in Lagos, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé, Wassim Elhusseini, said: “If there was a time when an alliance for youth is needed, it is today. Yes, our youth are confronted with multiple challenges, but the critical challenge is that of a lack of opportunities.”

He noted that youths “have great potential, and those who have been privileged to find the right opportunities have thrived in remarkable ways.”

In her remarks, Executive Director UNGCNN, Naomi Nwokolo, mentioned that it was “no longer fashionable to ignore the youth” as she urged “all stakeholders to pivot” towards harnessing the powers and potential of the youth demographic.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer, Sterling One Foundation, Olapeju Ibekwe, explained that the alliance prioritised partnerships to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals across “our focus sectors.” She added that “effective collaboration is the only” sustainable strategy for “holistic social impact at this time.”

The alliance said they would collaborate with policymakers, government and other stakeholders to develop solutions to address youth unemployment and foster employability and job creation.