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Nigeria Identifies 7 Key Sectors To Boost Employment

 

Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Chukwuemeka Wogu has identified seven key sectors of the economy that could stimulate job opportunities for citizens.

Speaking at the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce’s breakfast seminar in Lagos over the weekend, Wogu noted that the government has identified agriculture; information communication telecommunication; works and housing; petroleum/oil and gas, power and energy, solid minerals, transport, trade and investments and manufacturing/ industry as the key sectors that can reduce the high rate of unemployment in the country,

These sectors, he said, were already having positive impacts on unemployment reduction.

Wogu stated that it was not the job of the federal government to create jobs for Nigerians. He also pointed out that the present administration has nevertheless taken a proactive approach on the issue of unemployment by drafting in the private sector to spearhead and stimulate job creation in the identified key sectors of the economy, while government would only ensure that there is conducive business environment.

“Job creation lies within the private sector and government’s responsibility is to create conducive business environment for private sector to thrive, and that will stimulate employment in the country,” he said.

Citing the agricultural sector, the Minister noted that the sector has been able to create about 1.5 million jobs for Nigerians.

He pointed out that the agricultural sector was strategic to the administration’s master plan as a sector to stimulate employment, adding that agricultural is now a key sector employing various people from different disciplines.

On the ICT industry, Wogu said with the privatisation of the sector as well as the coming on board of different private telecommunication companies; the industry has been able to create job opportunities for Nigerians.

According to a report, statistics from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity puts the percentage of Nigerian graduates without employment after the mandatory National Youth Service Corps engagement at 41 percent.

The National Bureau of Statistics said over 50 percent of youths in Nigeria are jobless, while the World Bank puts the figure at 56 percent. Considering the country’s estimated population of about 170 million with about 60 million jobless, the danger it the situations portends to economic growth and development of Africa’s second–largest economy is enormous.

source: VENTURES AFRICA