The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki met with the Obama Foundation Leadership program winners in Lagos to discuss youth entrepreneurship and job creation.

It was an interactive session between the Senate President and the emerging leaders. After Dr. Saraki’s opening remarks, members of the Obama Leadership Foundation discussed the bottlenecks involved in youth advocacy and entrepreneurship.

The meeting was attended by several young business owners and policy advocates including Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Ms Oluyemi Ayeni, the founder of Pearl recycling, Mr Moses Enoleka, the CEO of Sonicare and a host of other emerging leaders in business.

Ms Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, the Executive Director of Stand to End Rape started the session by talking about sexual harassment in the workplace and society, advocating for the quick passage of the sexual harassment bill in the Senate.

The Senate President quipped in by talking about the passage of Sexual Harassment in tertiary institutions bill that criminalises the practice in higher institutions. He promised to engage the House of Representatives to expedite the passage of the Sexual harassment bill and the gender equality and opportunities bill.

Dr. Saraki engaged the young leaders about the importance of creating opportunities and especially by bridging the gap between the private sector and governance.

The young leaders cut across all sectors of the economy: education, financial inclusion, new media, renewable energy, entrepreneurs and the health sector.

All the attendants talked about sector peculiar issues. From poor education curriculum to the ease of doing business, access to credit, poor infrastructure, Nollywood grant, bottlenecks in exportation and high tariffs for renewable energy.

The attendees discussed possible solutions to the peculiar problems in their sectors and implored the Senate President to follow up on the recommendations.

On education, Mr Femi Taiwo the Executive Director of LEAP Africa discussed the importance of changing the school curriculum and improving access to e-learning. He discussed the possibility of the National Universities Commission (NUC) recognising e-learning initiatives much more and to improve teacher training.

The young leaders advised that the multiple agencies responsible for exportation be collapsed into one that can supervise and ensure transparency to reduce the bureaucracy involved.

In his closing remarks, the President of the Senate thanked everyone for coming and discussed the current situation in all the sectors and ways it can be improved. He discussed the importance of the interaction and praised the young leaders for endeavouring to create job opportunities for young people and bridging the gap for government.

Saraki spoke about the key legislation passed to solve a lot of the problems discussed, like the amendment to the UBE Act geared towards improving funding for basic education, the CAMA Bill which makes the registration of new businesses easier, the Electronic Transactions Bill that protects online transactions and the Movable Assets Act that makes loans readily accessible for young people.

Dr. Bukola Saraki then demanded policy documents and promised a follow up public hearing and meeting with the head of the relevant MDAs to improve the situation and create opportunities for the Nigerian youth.