Ojo: Why Youths’ Skills Devt Is Imperative to Promote Entrepreneurship, Economic Growth 

Adeyemi Ojo is Head of Commercial, BIC Nigeria. In this interview with Funmi Ogundare, he emphasised the importance of World Youth Skills Day, observed annually on July 15. He explained why focusing on youths’ skills development is essential for addressing unemployment, promoting entrepreneurship, and fostering inclusive growth in society. Excerpts:

What is the significance of World Youth Skills Day to BIC Nigeria?

World Youth Skills Day ultimately promotes investing in training and education to better integrate the youth into the workforce. At BIC, education is one of our main commitments as part of our sustainable development programme that aims to enhance our societal and environmental footprint;’ Writing the Future Together’. This shows an alignment with the core goals of World Youth Skills Day. Our commitment to the youth, the future of our nation, starts from the classroom all the way through to preparing them for the professional world. We provide students with a motivating learning environment by donating writing tools and refurbishing school facilities. Moving outside of the classroom, we encourage self-expression and creativity through our Art Master Africa competition and finally work with partners to prepare students for the professional world through internships, as well as project and business ideation and execution. We also regularly take part in or create education initiatives and campaigns. Most recently, we ran the Canvas of Change programme in Nigeria, where we worked with renowned educators, including Femi Taiwo, Opeifa Olasunkanmi, and Oluwaseun Kayode, to run masterclasses for teachers in hundreds of schools in Lagos. 

Why do you think it is important to focus on youth skills development?

The youth are the leaders of tomorrow and represent the future workforce. Focusing on youth skills development is crucial to ensure a robust, adaptable, and innovative economy. In a rapidly changing job market, equipping young people with diverse and relevant skills is essential for addressing unemployment, promoting entrepreneurship, and fostering inclusive growth. By investing in youth skills development, we are not only preparing individuals for the workforce but also empowering them to contribute meaningfully to society.

What are some of the most valuable skills young people should focus on in today’s job market?

The three most valuable skills include digital literacy which is crucial for today’s workforce and tomorrow’s generations to be accepting and adaptable to new technological innovations and tools. Learning how to leverage digital tools to enhance the quality and efficiency of work is fundamental. They also need to show creativity in problem-solving. By incorporating creativity in work methodologies and approaches helps set individuals apart. Finding new ways to complete tasks, run processes, and find solutions is a skill that is always required in businesses. Engaging in creative activity outside of work and being exposed to creativity in its various forms helps engage the mind and unleashes creativity further. 

Soft and analytical skills are another. Soft skills, including emotional intelligence and effective communication, are fundamental to an individual’s success. Strong soft skills include advanced cognitive abilities including critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills. All of which are crucial to advancing in the professional world. Youths need to continuously expand their horizons and work on themselves to keep abreast of the ever-evolving environment and landscape and remain relevant and competitive. 

How do you think educational institutions can better prepare youth for the workforce?

Educational institutions need to work on a comprehensive and holistic approach to learning. This would help integrate practical and theoretical skills, merge traditional and modern education, as well as bridge the gap as students transition from learning to working. It is imperative to incorporate creative teaching methods into educational curricula and work with educators to help them adopt modern and innovative learning techniques that could help students and the youth. Incorporating practical education also helps raise well-rounded individuals. This includes internships and community work. For instance, we worked with teachers across West and Central Africa last year to help equip them with necessary and useful teaching methods. Similarly, we have provided our partner teachers with our BIC Foundation’s Creativity Educator’s Guide. Our Mentor Me Programme, in partnership with Enactus, has helped students in Nigeria receive hands-on business experience. These are just examples of how organisations committed to this space could contribute. There is a lot that could be done to prepare youth for the workforce, namely in partnership between the private and public sectors.

What are the biggest challenges you see in youth skills development today?

One of the biggest challenges in youth skills development today is the mismatch between the skills taught in educational institutions and those demanded by the job market. Additionally, there is a disparity in access to quality education and training resources, particularly in underprivileged regions. The rapid pace of technological advancement also poses a challenge, as it requires continuous learning and adaptation, which can be daunting for both educators and learners. 

How can governments and organisations like BIC help youths overcome these challenges?

Governments and private organisations have different goals when it comes to education. Merging the government’s strength in the space and in regard to policy, regulation, and curricula with private entities’ commitment to education through CSR or CSI programmes we can go a long way. Each entity would focus on an area of development and collectively, we can resolve many challenges that would face the youth. From a BIC perspective, our sustainable development programme, ‘Writing the Future Together’, drives us to remain dedicated to our education commitment to improving learning conditions for 250 million students by 2025. In Africa, we do that by adopting a holistic approach from equipping classrooms with the necessary stationery material, to beautifying learning environments, to helping youth unleash their creativity through our Art Master Africa competition, and finally providing students with the necessary practical and on-ground experiences before they join the workforce. There are numerous initiatives run by private and public organisations in the country and across the continent. Together, we would certainly be able to join forces and equip our youth with the resources they need to build a better tomorrow. 

How do you think young people stay adaptable to changing job market demands?

The key is to remain a student. Continuing to expand your horizons, learn, adapt, upskill, and gather new information. This could be through traditional education, training, hands-on experience, or even AI tools. Lifelong learning creates open-minded, knowledgeable, adaptable, and flexible individuals ready to forecast challenges and find relevant and smart solutions and opportunities. 

How do youth skills development initiatives vary across different countries?

Every country has its own opportunities and challenges. Job markets and demands vary. Accordingly, the skills required are different in the different geographies depending on the solutions the collective is looking to resolve. These are impacted by factors including economic conditions, educational infrastructure, and cultural attitudes and beliefs. We live in a globalised world where youth are exposed to social and professional cultures through technology, especially with the rise of remote work. This diminishes the gap between the different geographies around the world. A nuanced approach, supported by an understanding of best practices relevant to each location, can help bridge these differences and promote effective youth skills development globally.