US Based Professors Proffer Solutions to High Rate of Youth Unemployment
Two Nigerian-born United States Professors, Chris Ehiobuche and Chizoba Madueke have devised various ways Nigerian youths could survive the harsh economy through gainful self-employment.
The professor in a 334-page book titled ‘Youth Entrepreneurship Creates Room for a different approach to discussing and presenting a practical approach to youth entrepreneurship; pointed out that the challenges and opportunities facing the Nigerian youths demand rethinking of new ways of doing things.
They pointed out that youth unemployment and underemployment are at a record high and that more than ever, the Nigerian youths are in dire need of finding other avenues to explore in pursuit of life endeavors.
According to the authors, their model presents insight on how a paradigm shift among the youths and the society in general from job search to business development may well lead to entrepreneurs and self-productive citizens.
They however, hope to inspire, inform, and encourage today’s youths to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs, leaders, and good citizens, just as they informed that the primary purpose of the book is to encourage the youths to transit from seeking employment, unemployment, or underemployment to self-employment/entrepreneursh
Speaking on the book specifically, Prof Ehiobuche said that he is looking at the Nigerian economy from the point of view of our inability to tap into their resources, which according to him is a situation that has been endemic for ages.
The author pointed out that Nigerians are good at analyzing our problems, thinking our solutions but are not so good in implementing them. He therefore, informed that the idea of the book is a different focus on how we can capitalize on the equity of what we have; an area that we have not tapped into-the Nigerian youths.
Prof Ehiobuche who said that what makes the difference in the book is that they looked into the people that want to benefit from the book and worked on it. “We are in a digital generation; regrettably, parents and the professors in Nigeria are still educating people, the way they were educated. If we keep teaching our youths that things are impossible and difficult, they will not excel. Starting up a business is a mindset but what we are teaching is that people should stop thinking of going to university, get a degree only to get employed.”
