‘Growing Southeast Economy Requires Equipping Youth with Digital Skills’

The growth potential of the South-east digital economy presents an opportunity for tackling the youth employment challenge, according to the founder/Chairman, S Mobile Group, Mr. Kingsley Adonu,

Adonu said while millions of jobs requiring advanced digital skills would be created in the coming decade, reports suggest a shortfall of skilled workers to fill the jobs.

He said while young people were often considered as digital natives, the reality is that the majority do not possess job-relevant digital skills required for present and future workplace.

The serial entrepreneur, who recently ventured into tech hub development in Enugu, expressed his readiness to work with relevant authorities in the zone to discourage the youth from engaging in crime.

“The digital economy is rapidly transforming the employment landscape across industries, including financial services, health, entertainment, transportation, entertainment, energy, governance and of course, information and communication technologies (ICT).

Millions of jobs requiring advanced digital skills will be created in the coming decade, but many reports are projecting a shortfall of skilled workers to fill these jobs,” Adonu said.

According to him, “The jobs requiring coding and other advanced ICT skills are going unfilled. These and more are what we set out to address through S Mobile Tech Hub, as a platform to lend support to the vision of the Executive Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah.  The governor has as vision to fight to poverty to a standstill and relevant digital skills for our youth is one of the ways to achieve this, he said, adding that the goal is to equip five million young people with digital skills in the South-east by 2030, starting with Enugu.  

Adonu said this would be achieved by mainstreaming digital skills into S Mobile Tech Hub’s curricula, establishing comprehensive on-the-job training systems and mobilising job creators in the public and private sector to employ young people in digital-centric jobs.