Faced with an unemployment rate which according to the recent KPMG report is estimated at 37.7 percent in 2022 and will rise further to 40.6 per cent in 2023, the April edition of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) lunchtime seminar was apt and timely as it focusses on developing a “Road Map” for combating unemployment and promoting skill acquisition.
In his remarks, the BPSR Director General, Dasuki Arabi pointed out that skill acquisition has become imperative if the country must reduce the high level of unemployment and increase the standard of living of Nigerians, adding that that the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) is a critical agency of government saddled with the responsibility of equipping Nigerians with requisite skills.
The DG of the NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, while addressing the seminar, among others urged youths to jettison the pursuit and preference for non-existent white collar jobs, but rather acquire skills that will make them job providers rather than seekers.
The Center holds that there is the need to infuse transparency in government sponsored efforts to promote skill acquisition and the ease of doing business for sustainability. Currently, Nigeria ranks 131 position out of 190 economies in the global ease of doing business index, and explains the regulatory bottlenecks in the country’s business environment.
We also recommend that subsequent skill acquisition programs by the NDE and similar agencies should build and factor in sustainability elements in order to guarantee continuity and survival of entrepreneurship ideas.