Skill mismatch worsening unemployment in Nigeria—Familoni

Olajumoke Familoni, a professor of entrepreneurship, and founder/chairman of the International Centre for Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development (ICLED), has attributed the surging rate of unemployment in Nigeria to a skill mismatch that widens employers and employees’ expectations gap.

Familoni stated this at the maiden edition of the ICLED graduation ceremony tagged: “The Green Skills,” for graduands from Greensprings School, at its Anthony Campus, Lagos.

“There is a lot of unemployment out there because employers and employees’ desires and needs are mismatched.

“Employers are more interested in what an employee is bringing to the table, the skills, leadership quality, teamwork and critical thinking, among others, than the paper qualifications,” she said.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report, “Unemployment rate in Nigeria increased to 4.20 percent in the second quarter of 2023 from 4.10 percent in the first quarter of 2023.

The unemployment rate in Nigeria averaged 4.16 percent from 1991 until 2023, reaching an all-time high of 6.00 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020 and a record low of 3.70 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013.”

She explained that the ICLED team realised that unemployment in the country would continue to skyrocket if not intentionally addressed.

Hence the team began to seek solutions to the threat by embracing skill- development among the adolescents while still in secondary schools in what she described as a ‘catch them young’ mechanism.

“The journey indeed started because we realised the importance of learning and continuous learning that is not just for higher education but even from secondary schools,” she noted.

Familoni noted that the certification programme was designed to educate students in invaluable proficiency in business management, technology and software development.

“These are communication, critical thinking, entrepreneurship, leadership, decision-making, business management, emotional and artificial intelligence,” she said.

Lai Koiki, the chief executive officer of Greensprings School, said the ICLED business training for secondary school students was the first of its kind and it came at a time in a world where entrepreneurship is on the front burner of training for any learner.

“If the students can acquire the skills in entrepreneurship and leadership early, then it serves them in good stead as they continue in their education and career,” she said.

Jamiu Ali-Balogun, the Lagos State commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, who was represented by Bolaji Olaleye, as the special guest of honour, called on the graduands to embrace hard work, dedication, and passion to navigate the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution.