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The Federal Government has said it is targeting the creation of 10 million jobs, directly or indirectly, for youths in Nigeria within the next five years.
Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, made this known when he received a team of World Bank officials led by Maheshwor Shrestha, a World Bank economist, in his office in Abuja.
He noted that some of the challenges faced by youths in the country include a lack of skills for the job market, inadequate vocational training, limited access to capital and funding, and infrastructural deficits. He stated that since his assumption of office as Minister of Youth Development, his focus has been on equipping young people in Nigeria with the requisite skills needed to make them self-reliant and contribute effectively to national development.
Olawande particularly highlighted the government’s plan to create at least 10 million jobs, directly and indirectly, for youths in the country within the next five years.
He solicited the support of the World Bank and other stakeholders in youth development to complement the Ministry’s efforts in creating a meaningful environment for young Nigerians to thrive.
The Minister admitted that there has been a disconnect between the youth in Nigeria and successive administrations over the last 40 years. However, he emphasized that the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is determined to ensure that, within the next five to six years, youths in the country—especially those in rural communities—would feel the presence and impact of the government.
“The focus of the ministry has been to achieve the establishment of a strong coordinated mechanism for all youth intervention focused on economic inclusion, and we want data to inform all we do.
“Provide decent jobs directly or indirectly for at least 10 million youths within the next five years and ensure that every youth is proficient in at least two income-generating skills.
“Expand our credit support funds by 50 million dollars to reach more young people, including businesses led by young women, people with disabilities, and young people in rural areas,” he said.
According to the Minister, since its inception in 2007, the Ministry has been saddled with the development of more than half of Nigeria’s population.
Speaking on Nigeria’s demography, Olawande said the current reality shows that 60 million youths are in the labour market, and an additional 5.5 million youths join the labour market every year. He added that almost 58 per cent of the informal workforce consists of young people, with the majority found in rural and semi-urban areas, making them vulnerable and at risk.
These data, he opined, will go a long way in the development of Nigeria if harnessed effectively.
The leader of the World Bank delegation, Maheshwor Shrestha, said his organisation is ready to engage Nigerian youths on three pathways. First, to give them the skills and match them to jobs they are suited for.
He added that the second level is to facilitate and manage migration opportunities, which would probably not provide jobs for everybody but would relieve the stress on the economy, particularly when there are not enough domestic jobs.
Another area of support he pointed out was fallback employment in the form of safety net-type support, like public works, where they could get some income while using it as a platform to link them to more skilling, entrepreneurship, and other opportunities that are available.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Olubunmi Olusanya, stated that the Ministry will do everything possible to build on the existing collaboration with the World Bank for more robust opportunities for the youth of this country to thrive.
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