Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) says the Federal Government should implement policies and programmes that will encourage manufacturing, as well as lift Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to create job opportunities in the economy in line with its 10 million jobs projection.
Timothy Olawale, the Director General of NECA, who spoke with journalists, in Lagos, believed this is one of the measures to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, as envisaged by the government.
The Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) recently plans to create 10 million jobs within the next five years. The CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele said that the initiative falls within President Muhammadu Buhari’s resolve to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty through job creation and economic diversification.
According to Olawale, government should put sufficient intervention programmes in place to ensure that if executed it will create the expected job opportunities.
“The plan to create more jobs is what Nigerians expect from the government. It is good but it is the parameters or strategies used that will make it feasible,” he said.
He explained that government must develop and encourage manufacturing sector by promoting entrepreneur and small scale business as engine of economic growth, adding that the development of manufacturing and entrepreneurship would have a multiplier effect on job creation and the economy
“Government must ensure adequate power generation and distribution. Entrepreneurs need electricity to produce and work because they are self employed. With constant production, jobs will be created,” he said.
Olawale also urged the government to promote skill development programmes for graduates and non-graduates to enable them establish businesses without government employment.
According to him, if such people are trained, they could establish businesses and even employ others and this would help provide jobs and eliminate poverty.
However, CBN initiative tends to focus more on agro sector through the provision of improved seedlings and access to finance for rural farmers rice, maize, cassava, cocoa, tomato, cotton, oil-palm, poultry, fish, and livestock/dairy production.
JOSHUA BASSEY
