Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the executive governor of Lagos State has advanced the cause for quality education as the fulcrum for sustainable job creation and employability skills.
Sanwo-Olu made this known during his keynote address at the 2nd Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) 2022 conference theme; “Sustainable Job Creation Strategies: Collective Action and Prosperity for All”, held on Thursday, March 3 at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The executive governor explained that Lagos State understands the need for creating jobs for the teeming population of people residing in the state as well as the need to help the youth build confidence in themselves.
“All over the world, it is the responsibility of progressive governments like ours to create the enabling environments, the policies, support courses that create wealth, stimulate economic growth, and encourage prosperity,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Sanwo-Olu highlighted how his administration is tackling unemployment and employability skills acquisition through a survey of the state of schools and curriculum required to bring out the best from the youth.
He explained that the state decided to establish comprehensive schools in Lagos State to instil skills creation in the adolescents. Besides, his administration ensured that the teachers are well trained and equipped with tablets to impact students with quality skills.
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Lagos State he said has obtained the approval for two new universities, the university of science and technology, and the university of education to groom the youth in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).
“These are the types of skills needed in the contemporary labour market,” he stated.
According to the governor, “The LSETF is coming out bigger, bolder and stronger, having been equipped to drive job creation and reduce unemployment in the state. When we started LSETF impacted 27,000 people, and as of today, they have more than 200,000 Lagosians benefiting from the fund.”
He stressed the need for partnership and collaboration with private sectors and individuals in order to help address the 6.7percent drop in the unemployment rate in the state.
The governors promised to double the budget of LSETF to enable them to do better.
“This is about scaling and capacity for the LSETF to grow more,” he said.
The LSETF 2-days summit holds on Thursday and Friday with the goal to discuss innovative and sustainable approaches to job creation, drawing from experiences and/or interventions of notable local and international institutions, including public, private and non-profit organisations.
The summit will create an avenue for various actors to discuss strategies cantered on new trends and opportunities from diverse sectors and value chains that have remained resilient all through the Covid-19 pandemic. It will also showcase innovative approaches to creating sustainable employment for youth.
The discussions will explore the effects of the pandemic on the workforce and map the different scenarios to create medium to long term solutions.
The summit will have in attendance representatives of international development partners, federal and state regulatory bodies, business/industry/thought leaders, corporate organisations, training institutes, technology start-ups and MSMEs etc; who all make up the community of practice on the issue of unemployment and job creation in Nigeria.
