Dike Onwuamaeze
The Board Chairman of EnterpriseNGR, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede, last week, launched the Youth of Enterprise (YOE) internship programme that is designed to democratise access to career opportunities for Nigerian youth from all parts of the country.
Aig-Imokhuede said that the goal of YOE is to recruit at least 5,000 talented Nigerian youths every year, and equip them on employability skills and place them in high-value paid internships for six months with the hope of launching them on meaningful career journeys.
He said: “It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the launch of YOE internship program. Our vision at EnterpriseNGR is simple: to champion the transformation of Nigeria into Africa’s foremost financial hub. And you will agree with me that the quality of Nigeria’s human capital that is available to back this aspiration is a key requirement for its success.
“Indeed, the truth is that we cannot develop our nation without tackling the problem of employment and employability. And it is against this background that we present to you today YOE internship program. It is a flagship initiative of EnterpriseNGR. It is designed to address high rate of unemployment and underemployment among Nigerian youths. It is for any Nigerian who has the potential to fly.”
Speaking during the launch of the YOE, the Chief Executive Officer of EnterpriseNGR, Ms. Obi Ibekwe, said that the mission of the YOE is to improve the employability of Nigeria’s young population and connect them to the right job opportunity.
Ibekwe said that the YOE is in line with the vision of EnterpriseNGR that is of is focused on making Nigeria the financial hub of Africa.
She said: “The importance of a financial and professional service centre in any economy cannot be overstated. There is empirical evidence that strong financial system drives economic growth. However, a strong economy needs competent, skilled and professional workforce to drive and enable it.
“YOE Internship Program is the flagship of EnterpriseNGR in its bid to advocate for the growth, strengthening and deepening of the Nigerian financial and professional financial service sector and the Nigerian economy. The growth that we are championing cannot happen unless we begin today to nurture the talent to support it. YOE is, therefore, EnterpriseNGR commitment to nurture the next generation of workplace talent.”
She added that YOE would be used to address two major work place challenges that Nigerian young university graduates are facing in the labour market.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Mr. Uche Orji, who moderated the panel discussion on “Employability for Corporate Nigeria: Challenges, Opportunities and Needed Action,” said that empowering young graduates is an issue that needed urgent national attention to ensure that Nigeria youths are gainfully employed and contribute adequately to national productivity.
Orji stated that the challenge of unemployment in Nigeria is “multifaceted and include lack of requisite skills, and professional competence that render our youths unemployable, insufficient employment opportunities in Nigeria and inadequate information on job opportunities.”
