Abisoye Ayoyinka Fagade, a marketing communications and brand expert, has launched an entrepreneurial skills acquisition scheme to address challenges relating to underemployment, unemployment and unemployability of Nigerian youths.
The scheme tagged, ‘Abisoye Fagade Foundation’, is established to empower youths through mentorship and skills transfer, with a view to availing them of opportunities that improve their chosen careers.
Fagade said the Foundation was established to build the upcoming generations and invest in the future of the nation, saying that the only way to add value to the society is to invest in the youths, whether educated, semi educated and none educated.
Fagade, founder and managing director of Sodium Group said, “One of my visions has always been to put Nigeria on the global map and promote Africa at large, and there is no better way to do that than setting up an organisation that caters and invests in the youth.”
“I just realised you will never be able to lift anyone if you focus only on your own challenges. I have seen a lot of Nigerian youths with ideas that can save this country but they are not making headway because they can find someone to leverage on.
“By and Large, it’s a huge task that I think some of us have to leave our personal challenges to champion. We need to save Nigeria by strengthening our start-ups to become MSMEs.
“We are devoted to entrepreneurship, innovation, capacity building, empowerment, championing entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs nationwide.”
Fagade, an alumnus of several global management and leadership programmes such as Howard Business School, Stanford Seed Program, among others, added that his foundation is set to unlock obstacles which entrepreneurs face as they grow their start-ups into established enterprises.
“You’re better than what you’re getting right now. Youths need to also erase that get-rich-quick mentality. The challenges around you are enough to make you rich; just create solutions. Nigerian youths are creative and hardworking, I believe they are able leaders of tomorrow and note that you will get knocked down, you will fail, maybe multiple times, people will laugh at you, you will go broke sometimes, but in all, you must stay focused,” he admonished.
RAZAQ AYINLA
