Rise.ng has unveiled plans to empower 36 million Nigerian youths with capacity-building certifications necessary to connect artisans to customers to provide employment and stem the country’s brain drain tide.
Olawunmi Akalusi, Chief Executive Officer of Rísé.ng, made this known at the official launch of the Rísé.ng App in Lagos.
Akalusi said Rísé.ng was created to bridge the supply gap for blue-collar jobs and introduce professionalism to the informal sector. Rise is a Yoruba word pronounced ‘rishe’ meaning to find work.
She said that Rísé.ng empowerment initiative called “Project Empower” was aimed at addressing the increasing youth unemployment and lack of startup capital.
The Rísé.ng CEO said the initiative would also equip the Nigerian youths with the necessary skills and knowledge to start and manage successfully their own businesses.
“The programme will transform 36 million youths across Nigeria; one million per state, building their capacity through intensive training and internships.
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“Thereafter, listing them on the rise.ng platform to reach a wider audience for business opportunities,” she said.
Akalusi revealed that a proposal was in the offing with Harvard University to train the youths for three days to enable them deal with customer acquisition and retention.
This, she said, was to engender business sustainability and equip youths with skills that could be achieved export and at the same time, build the nation.
She called for partnership across private and public sectors to ensure that Nigerian talents were not exported to other countries to build the country’s blue-collar sector.
“We, however, want the government to help the country by first providing electricity and other aspects would follow for the country to be great.
“On our part, we would continue to promote self-employment among Nigerian youths making them viable assets to the country’s economy,” she said.
Samuel Avwerosuo Egube, Commissioner, Economic Planning and Budget, Lagos, described Rísé.ng as a solution for the youthful population that would empower artisans and create a marketplace around work ethics for blue-collar jobs.
Egube said the development was in line with the governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, administration’s agenda for the youths, particularly with the launch of the 30-year development plan for the state.
