Nigeria’s Youth Unemployment Is On The Rise, Experts Want To Find A Solution
Nigeria’s unemployment rate stands at 33.3% according to the National Bureau of Statistics. This is the second-highest in the world thanks in part to the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic
This means that about 23.2 million Nigerians are unemployed – the highest in 13 years. Those within the age bracket of 25 to 34 contributed to the highest with 28.8 percent of the labour force.
Despite this gloomy number, young Nigerians are seeking and exploring opportunities in tech startups as a way to reduce unemployment as well as to create opportunities for others.
To achieve this, however, it is important for young Nigerians to be equipped with the right information and skillset to prepare them for how to explore the abundant opportunities in the tech ecosystem. This includes understanding the possible problems and solutions, the opportunities available, and the right direction to take. And some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the field are part of an upcoming virtual session discussing the way forward.
ALAT by Wema will be held on Thursday, August 26, 2021, providing an opportunity for young Nigerians to learn and network. The session, themed ‘developing and sustaining the startups of the future’, will provide young Nigerians with the skills and information that will enable them to build and manage businesses and startups of the future.
Tomiwa Aladekomo who is the CEO of Big Cabal Media will speak on the ‘biggest challenges facing the African technology ecosystem’. Aladekomo earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business administration at Boston University before earning a Master of Arts Degree in cultural anthropology from Columbia University.
He was an arts coordinator at Atlantic Records from October 2007 to June 2008 before joining ThisDay Media as an online editor. He worked as a senior digital manager at Nigerian Breweries from 2013 to 2016 before joining Ventra Media Group as a managing director in 2016. He has been a member of the board of directors at ChamSwitch PLC since 2017.
He will be joined on the session by Femi Akinfolarin, Head, Corporate Strategy, Wema Bank and Adaora Mbelu, Founder, Lumination Global Network to share his wealth of digital and tech experience on how young Nigerians can navigate the process of managing their businesses and creating the technology of the future.
Femi Akinfolarin holds a master’s degree in International Trade and Investment Law from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands and an MBA from the Hult International Business School UAE (Dubai/Boston Campus). He has over a decade of cognate experience in the financial services sector and has held various managerial positions in different companies within and outside the sector. He currently heads the corporate strategy function in Wema Bank.
Adaora Mbelu who received a BSc in economics and entrepreneurship from Northern Kentucky University is the founder of Lumination Global Network. She has worked in various leadership capacities as a brand developer. In 2017, she was mentioned in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “11 Africans that are changing the business landscape in Africa.” She was awarded “Most Inspiring Woman” at the Her Network Woman of the Year Awards two years ago.
Click HERE to register.
