The federal Government has unveiled a new strategy to create about 20 million new jobs in four different sectors of the economy.
The strategy as disclosed by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelamah, at a stakeholders’ meeting on job creation in Abuja seeks to alleviate the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria.
With the huge level of unemployment in the country, the minister observed that it has become imperative to devise a pragmatic approach to creating jobs for the people.
He further said that the ministry had directed the Industrial Training Fund to come up with innovative solutions to create 20 million jobs in four sectors of the economy in the next four years.
The sectors, according to the minister, include agriculture, transportation, services and construction.
Enelamah, who was duly represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Sunday Akpan, said the need to focus on the sectors was borne out of the conviction that they held the key to the diversification efforts of the Federal Government. With the huge contribution of the sectors to the Gross Domestic Product of the country’s economy, it is necessary to explore their job creation potential in order to reduce the unemployment rate in Nigeria, the minister said.
He said, “In order to sustain and build on the successes recorded in this regard in the first tenure of Mr President, we are articulating and strategising with a renewed impetus towards combating the twin evils of unemployment and insecurity.
“It is on this basis that the ministry charged the Industrial Training Fund to come up with revolutionary multi-faceted job and wealth creation strategies that would lead to a lasting solution to this hydra-headed problem.
“From the report that I have received, the ITF has been able to propose pragmatic strategies that within the tenure of the next level, will generate about 20 million jobs from four key sectors of the Nigerian economy.
“These key sectors are the agriculture, construction, transport and the services sectors.”
The Director-General, ITF, Joseph Ari, said that the report of the National Bureau of Statistics, which had put the total number of unemployed Nigerians at 20.9 million as of the end of the fourth quarter of last year, had necessitated the need to act fast in tackling unemployment.
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He said, “Today, all across the country are needless incidences of violence, criminality and social vices perpetrated by persons that ordinarily should be contributing significantly to the development of our dear nation.
“This is even as others that should be earning sustainable livelihoods today are barely able to eke out a living.
“The number that is without jobs in our country is at once scary and staggering and should be a source of worry to any administration that is as committed to the welfare of Nigerians as the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.”
The ITF DG said while the current administration was implementing a number of policies to create jobs, such measures needed to be complemented by the private sector for the economy to feel the desired impact.
He said, “It must be noted that the President Buhari’s administration has made tremendous efforts to create jobs as could be seen in the increases in the number of people employed as cited by the NBS report.
“Today, across the length and breadth of the country are visible pieces of evidence of the Federal Government’s efforts to get Nigerians engaged.
Juliet Ekwebelam
