I recently signed up for the Budget 2014 Jam with the Minister for Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, an attempt to get young people involved in the budget process of the Federation. It is an all inclusive virtual interaction. I wrote up a post, which I intended young people to deliberate on. Kindly find the post beneath. I hope you will find time to sign up, and join in the discussion. It is about Nigeria, outsourcing its youth, amidst youth bulge and increasing competition for limited jobs.
"Nigeria has an abundance of youth. In fact, based on the recent UN Youth
report, which highlighted youth bulge and a lacking strategy by
governments in Africa to come with the sudden rise in youthful
population amidst dwindling jobs, amount hugely to restiveness and
conflict in Africa.
However, while lots of Africa countries suffer from a seemingly educational gap between the older generation and the youth as regards modern realities and paradigm shifts, Nigeria has taken the lead in the opposite direction. Our educational institutions might not be the best around, but some youth manage to get decent enough education to compete averagely with their international peers. Most recently, private hands have taken the issue in their hands, and even though a part of government budget is still assigned to scholarships, private sector funding in seeking overseas education for Nigeria's young population is massive.
By private sector, I mean parents, guardians, corporate sponsorships, and massive remittances that in 2012, accounted for more than Foreign Direct Investment, in AID trickling in to Africa. Today, Nigerians seek education all over the world, to stay abreast with the ever increasing competition for millennial jobs, and jobs of the future.
However, the growing gaps in neighbors, mean that they continue to suffer conflict, and these conflicts will threaten the peace and sovereignty of Nigeria. In years past, there has been a Corps Programme for professionals to live and work in selected countries in Africa. While I will argue that these professionals are best needed back in Nigeria to support in nation building now that there is massive inroads with infrastructural development, I support a programme where Nigerian youth are encouraged to take up short term job opportunities in other countries, in selected sectors, including education, development, medical services, transport and maintenance, manufacturing, etc; as are required in building the skills and regional understanding of the Nigerian youth.
While work abroad experiences have been proven to contribute massively in developing managerial and leadership skills of young people including their adaptability to new cultural and work environments and understanding how to manage culture shocks, the experiences become massive once these youth return home to Nigeria, where the experience they have gained, help them fit in seamlessly in to vital sectors of the economy, including social enterprise.
Like the internship positions with the various international organizations like the International Financial Corporation, ECOWAS, African Development Bank, etc, I believe developing a Youth Work Abroad Scheme will provide a means for young Nigerians to have a first travel experience, understand culture shock, and adapt to increasing changes in the atmosphere and demands of the work place."
Follow the thread here
