by Mina Ogbanga

 ….clutching academic papers without early job placements,would often still lead to lower wages and the odds of future joblessness.

In recalling a survey in 2012, there were claims about the gradual underpinnings for sub-Saharan Africa’s gradual economic rise in the past 5 decades, with the pace accelerating in the most recent decade as Africa reached certain threshold that amount to a critical mass for economic take off especially in the youth employment sector.

Incidentally some surveys are as disconnected from reality as they are amusing and so are forced to let those and many others laying claim to amazing improvement in livelihoods of those in Nigeria just fly.

At a recent Orientation/Inauguration of Volunteer Health Monitors, it became more glaring how much youth seek to be so innovatively engaged. Judging from the inputs, comments and expectations, the desire for constructive engagement is at the heart of many youth. Nationally, considering that they make up over 70 per cent of the population, words cannot describe the amazing rise in true national growth if this resource is actively engaged in pursuit of national growth. The situation in reality does not appear to be the case with the consistent and sharp decline in youth employment. With the growing deadlock in the university system, the further stamping of unemployable youths is gradually becoming a norm. The question remains, where are we headed, 1, 5, 10years down the road when these crop of youths would be expected to lead the Nation? Also gradually sorting the puzzle is the intriguing fact that there is hardly any correlation between studying a certain course and getting a job or taking on a particular hobby. The job clime is gradually being redefined, leaving many just struggling to attend universities “just to acquire a certain certificate”. A worrisome trend as there is also a growing mismatch between the skills that young people offer and the ones employers need.

Around the world, almost 300 million 15-24year-olds are not working. Worse are those in “NEETS” not in employment, education or training, a group the OECD, an intergovernmental think-tank says has 26 million youth in developed countries and 260 million in developing economies (according to the World Bank). The economics wraps it up by saying a quarter of the planet’s youths (290 million) are neither working nor studying. It is therefore clear that half of Nigeria’s young people are either outside the formal economy or contributing less productively than they could in-spite of the efforts of certain youth projects and programs.

Young people have had a raw deal in the labour market caused by the financial crisis and the emerging economies with terrifyingly fast growing population. Clutching academic papers without early job placements would often lead to lower wages and the odds of future joblessness. Unlike what exists here, many countries with the lowest youth jobless rates share a close link between education and work. Some countries like Germany have a long tradition of high quality vocational education and apprenticeships, which some states in Nigeria are currently investing in with the hope of reducing unemployment. Since mismatch and training gaps (especially on the job where available) are still high, any form of knowledge transfer becomes a welcome development.

We therefore need more people to be taught how to fish. We need more fishermen and “fishers of men” if we are to sail through the murky waters of unemployment. We need to encourage the nations leadership and state governments to consistently seek innovative ways to bridge the gap between education and work by a complete overhaul or policy review. In the education sector, upgrade vocational schools, understand the priority needs of local companies and encourage closer ties between schools and local companies, embracing apprenticeship. We need to transform unemployment systems from safety nets to springboards, liberalising our labour market. New Technology is still being viewed as a curse or blessing depending on which side if the divide you are on. While some say it is unleashing a storm of disruptive innovation and exacerbating problems, others see it as providing strategic solutions.

As a youth it is hard to be optimistic about a problem that is blighting the lives of so many people with more genuine collaborative strategies, pessimism could decrease. I agree with the former UK Prime Minister, late Margaret Thatcher (1984) who often said that “young people ought not to be idle. It is very bad for them.”

When 3 weeks ago,the AFDBs economic outlook report indicated that Nigeria’s economy was not on the path of growth countering the President Jonathan’s midterm report that the country was gradually achieving economic viability, not many people were surprised. This is especially because the critical mass did not see the acclaimed economic growth as translating into job creation or poverty alleviation. With poverty being higher at 73.2 per cent in rural areas and 61.8 per cent in urban, not a few cared about GDP and FDIs. With 66 per cent living below poverty line of $1 per day,what else is there to say? 24 per cent unemployment rate of youths sealed it all.

The Federal Government later faulted the report, describing it as “devoid of truth”. However, it remains glaring that government’s claims about economic growth do not truly reflect the reality on ground nor on the daily lives of the people calling for the need to genuinely revisit reigniting growth. We don’t need to make unemployment a terminal ailment.

We need to set aside partisanship and focus on strategic development as the core goal. We need to internalise growth. Every government can change what they genuinely commit to. Unemployment, youth and development are three key words that need urgent and focused attention. Naysayers should be jettisoned, there’s so much to achieve. Let’s go fishing people,  a hungry man….

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Mina Ogbanga is an ardent development activist with a strong passion for sustainable development in rural communities, institutional building and social performance.

A social entrepreneur par excellence, Mina has had over 20 years of development experience. A Post Graduate Alumni of Cambridge University UK, United Nations Training Institute, Alumni of Harvard Kennedy School Boston, US, LBS etc and a Doctoral Researcher in Nigeria,

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.