Speaking in his
National Assembly office about the upcoming technology and skills
building training programme that will be launched in Kwara State on
Sunday, November 13, the Senate President said one of the greatest
challenge the country has to grapple with is the need to gainfully
engage the country’s bulging youth population.
“According to
the latest estimate from the National Population Commission, Nigeria’s
population is now approximately 182 million people. More than half of
the population is under 30 and another 40
percent of that are under the age of 14” said Saraki.
He added that
“national leaders like me have the responsibility to take heed to these
numbers and develop future oriented technology, training and employment
schemes to integrate the younger population
into our new economy. We must make these young men and women
entrepreneurs who can also be employers of labour instead of looking for
non-existing jobs".
Under the Skills
acquisition, Training and Empowerment Programme (STEP), 40,000 youths
will be trained over four years with advanced skills and technology
training in areas such as computer engineering,
software development, animation, cinematography, event management and
many other areas where the participants can grow to be self-employed.
The goal of STEP
is to make participants globally competitive in the sectors for which
they will be trained. Such preparation is important for future
employment, starting businesses, creating jobs
and putting able bodied and motivated youths to work.
“I thought long
and hard about how our society can bring youths off the margins of
society for entrepreneurship or gainful employment”, Saraki said. “With
the help of consultants and other experts,
we were able to craft a programme whereby participants will be trained
by Nigeria’s best and most successful business leaders, technology
entrepreneurs and other industry practitioners.”
Saraki also
noted that the future of Nigeria’s economic security rests with how we
prepare today’s youth. He said the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
predicts Nigeria’s economy will contract by
1.7 percent in 2017.
“We must ask
ourselves, are we to plant the seeds for a prosperous and abundant
Nigeria? Or do we ignore the danger signs about the current youth
bulge?” the Senate President stated. “I for one
believe it is a national imperative for us to promote the development
and education of our young people today, so they may benefit from
tomorrow’s global economy".
0 comments: