The African continent is at risk of providing 68% of the global labour force in the next 30 years if youths do not embrace self-development and skill acquisition.
Former Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who raised the alarm, said figures on the rate of out-of-school children, increasing unemployment statistics, and lack of infrastructure, among others, have necessitated a strong redirection to progressive human capital development.
He observed that while Africa’s labour and employment system cannot accommodate the aspirations of youths, especially graduates, it is also important to bridge the gap between the educated and non-educated population, through advancement of self-development initiatives that will benefit the larger interest of the society.
Aregbesola, who spoke at the commissioning of Ruth Aina Atayero Foundation Skills Acquisition And Vocational Training Centre, Oremeji Street, Ilesa, also called on governments at all levels to invest in the cultivation of the intellect of young people, as done between 2010 and 2018 in Osun, to stem the wide unemployment gap.
His words, “The challenge of development we have therefore is that we are not developing humans. When human experience self-development, then they will be in the best position to develop the society and their environment.
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“Nigeria’s universities have an approved capacity of 3 million students, undergraduate enrollment rarely exceeds 2 million. However, 1.8 million students take the JAMB matriculation examination annually with only about 600 being admitted. What happens to the rest? To be sure, even with all the applicants gaining admission into our tertiary institutions, our labour and employment system cannot accommodate the aspirations of our youth.
“Nigeria accounts for 15% of the world’s out-of-school children, with 10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the junior secondary school level. More alarming is the fact that only 1 in 3 adolescents eligible for the senior secondary school are in school. Too many of our children are left behind, missing out on basic education and skills acquisition necessary for survival in today’s economy.
“In the next 30 years, 68% of global labour force will come from Africa. What are our choices? We must act now or be consumed by the consequences of our inaction. If we fail to invest in our youth, they risk being seen only as a source of cheap labour. We must equip them with appropriate skills, knowledge and leadership abilities to shape the future. We must move from being the global source of manual labour force to becoming its knowledge force. This centre is a step in that direction.
“When we were at the helms in this state, we did massive infrastructure development, which we considered to be very necessary. We built the longest kilometres of roads across the state, we built bridges, and literally transformed this state from a rural decrepit agglomeration of ancient communities to modern beautiful places.
“But we were not under the illusion that it was enough. We considered human development to be more important. This is why we built the beautiful and solid schools that remain pristine till today. This is why we provided for security, healthcare, skill acquisition training at home and abroad and empowerment for all and sundry.
“Because we got a huge number of the youth in the state engaged, Osun had the lowest unemployment, lowest poverty index and the lowest crime rates in the country. The most import need of person is food, clothing and shelter. But these are just for survival, to keep that person alive and protect their dignity, is called civilization.
“Nevertheless, the most important development need of man is education – for the cultivation of his intellect, for the awareness of self, nature and the environment and more important to enable him to work. The capacity of the human to conceive of how to create value by applying his intellect and physical attributes to the natural resources around him is the real development.
“This is the biggest challenge in our society and for which it doesn’t appear we are making much progress. Poverty and unemployment exist because we have not gone past this threshold. The threshold of transforming abstract knowledge to technology, creativity and innovation. The moment a society crosses this threshold, it become prosperous and affluent,” Aregbesola stressed further.
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
