…as Ogun State Business Advocacy Group Holds 5th AGM.
Stakeholders have urged empowerment for building women and youth capacity to enhance growth, development and solve unemployment issues affecting the country.
Engr. Akinpelu Shogunle, Managing Director of Highlander Energy Solution Services Limited made this known on Thursday at the Annual Business Advocacy Conference/ General Meeting of Ogun State Business Advocacy Group (BAG) held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Engr. Shogunle while speaking on the theme of the conference tagged, “Capacity Building and Empowerment – A Panacea For Women and Youth Unemployment” harp on the need for government to equip women and youth with knowledge and needed skills that will position them for employment and economic growth.
He said, “the youth capacity building and empowerment development is an unconditional posture for nation building as the strength of future development of a nation depends solely upon it and the future of any country is always predicted on its present youth productive force”.
“Helping young people to earn a living through entrepreneurship can make a crucial contribution to poverty reduction and it’s obvious that youth constitute the true wealth and the future of the country”.
Shogunle while attributing the serious economic problem that an individual has to face in any society to lack of relevant markable skills called on government at all levels to empower the youth to provide them with adequate and qualitative education in order to make them job creators and eradicate poverty.
“Youth unemployment in Nigeria has been increasing because most graduates seems to lack relevant marketable skills”.
“One way to empower the youth is to provide them with adequate and qualitative education in order to make them job creators and eradicate poverty”, he added.
Meanwhile, in his welcome address the Chairman of Ogun State Business Advocacy Group, Otunba A. Babs Adesanya stated that the group was established in 2013 with the aim of enhancing an enabling Business Environment in a sustainable manner through dialogue and advocacy.
Otunba Adesanya stressed that youth unemployment has been of great concern to the citizens and government, added that the nation churns out a large number of graduates with few or non existent employment opportunities.
He said, “Labour force report from the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that the rate of unemployment among women rose by 35.2% in last quarter of 2020 and according to the report, 61.63 million women in the working population accounting for 50.5% of the total working population however only 30.15 million of these women were able and willing to work”.
“It is in the light of this that we find the chosen theme for the AGM as experts will be tackling the issue from different angles to proffer solution”, he said.
On her part, Ogun State Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe represented at the conference by a Director in the Ministry, Mr. Ariyibi Opaleye pleaded with relevant business stakeholders in the state to emulate Prince Dapo Abiodun on youth inclusion in governance, empowerment and development for the benefit of the society.
Longe added that Ogun State Government will continue to live up to its vision of creating an enabling environment for Public Private Partnership (PPP), which will lead to the economic prosperity of the State.
On the sideline of the event, the group also sworn in new executives under the Chairmanship of Olatunji Ola – Davies that will pilot its affairs till 2024.
Other EXCO members include; Abiodun Dimeji Lasile (1st Vice Chairman), Mr. Gbolahan Akintobi (2nd Vice Chairman), Mr Babatunde Soaga (General Secretary), Mr Cyrus Johnson (Treasurer), Mr Ifeoluwa Adesanya (Public Relations Officer), Mr Sheriff Olaleye (Assistant General Secretary), Mr Olakunle Akingbogun (Auditor), Mr Olusola Kehinde Adediran (Ex-officio) and Otunba A. Babs Adesanya (Immediate Past President and Ex-officio)
