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Tech Trends | |
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Wednesday, January 08, 2020 / 12:25 PM / Nifemi Taiyese for WebTV / Header Image Credit: Caladium Consulting Ltd.
Nigeria's high domestic unemployment rate has raised
increasing concerns amongst private sector stakeholders as economists and
business owners alike begin to fret over growing youth restlessness.
In a recent discussion with WebTV, Mr. Ayo
Bankole-Akintujoye strategy expert and convener, Lagos SME Bootcamp noted that
there needs to be a paradigm shift in government with both the government and
citizens recognizing the need for technology in transforming the economy and
driving faster growth and employment. He pointed out that in a changing
economic ecosystem that is technology-dependent, the government must realize
the need for improved education and retraining of the labour force.
He acknowledged the fact that Nigeria has attracted
huge investments in technology, but the regulatory environment has stifled the
prospects for growth.
Bankole cited the example of the Fintech Industry,
which is meant to provide alternatives and disruptions to the traditional
banking system but is still restricted by several Central Bank of Nigeria
regulations, limiting Fintech expansion.
He called for flexibility in regulation, especially
for the financial services industry and the tech sector, and emphasized the
need for increased funding to enhance financial liquidity.
He advocated for initiatives that can cause the
adoption of technology to scale-up businesses and drive productivity.
On her part, Mrs. Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, General
Manager, Enterprise Marketing, MTN Nigeria, said a huge part of the problem
with the unemployment rate in Nigeria is the relatively small number of skilled
people in the country.
According to her, "A lot of people are not employable
because they do not have the right skills for the respective jobs".
She pointed to the need for a high level of technical
and digital skills for Nigerians, to position them for the jobs in the fourth
industrial revolution (4IR).
Ikenna-Emeka tasked Nigerians to take advantage of
online training courses on their own outside the conventional box of
schools/institutions or organizations where they work.
Speaking further, she described the internet as a pool
of resources for Nigerians to learn and acquire new skills and also
identified LinkedIn as a platform that provides immense opportunities for job
search.
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