Business Management Conference (BMC), a non-governmental
organisation, has called on the Federal Government to create centres across the
country where youths could be properly mentored on how to be successful
entrepreneurs. This, according to the group, would help bridge the unemployment
gap.
The call was made in Lagos at a seminar organised by the
organisation, themed, ‘Emergence of Giant Entrepreneurs.’
Speaking with BusinessDay at the event, Abiodun Odunuga,
co-project director, BMC, said given the increasing level of unemployment in
the country, which many youths have capitalised on to enlist in all manner of
criminality, government must create centres where youths could be properly
mentored to be their own employers rather than waiting for non-existent jobs.
Odunuga said: “Recent statistics show that between June and
now, the United States government created 163, 000 jobs, yet unemployment level
is still high. Nigeria is not even close to that. It means we have a long way
to go. A country that emphasises so much on paper qualification may not achieve
the desired growth. Emphasis should be on practical skills.”
Commending the YouWin programme of the Federal Government,
Odunuga said care must be taken to ensure that money was not just being given
out to people based on proposals, but that there must be sufficient monitoring
to ensure that the huge amount given was not mismanaged by the beneficiaries.
By so doing, the recipients will not only successfully employ themselves, they
will employ others and the country will be better for it.
On how the organisation assists those under its mentorship
to access funding for their projects, the co-project director said: “Funding is
not a problem for those under our mentorship. We have entered into partnership
with some important personalities in society and groups who make access to
funding easy for those who pass through our mentorship. We are into
collaboration with African Leadership Forum, Entrepreneurship Development
Centre, Lagos, among others.”
 |
| Participants at the BMD Entrepreneurship Program |
Odunuga disclosed further: “Our programmes are not just all
about talking, it is a practical thing. It is a full package. Our seminars are
not motivational talks, but occasions where those who have succeeded in their
chosen fields share their practical experiences. Some have also signed a
contract with us to take up some of the youths and mentor them to the point
that they become successful entrepreneurs''.
By ZEBULON AGOMUO
Source: BusinessDay
No comments:
Post a Comment