By David Agba
Abuja
Speakers at the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) dialogue in collaboration with Nextier Advisory have urged the federal government to do everything possible to revive the nation’s manufacturing sector as it spurs development.
The dialogue with theme: Job Creation and Employment Generation Strategies in Nigeria held yesterday in Abuja had the speakers stressing the need for Nigerians to patronise made in Nigeria goods to encourage job creation locally and not to continue to enrich other countries.
Executive chairman, African Centre for Shared Development Capacity Building (ACSDCB), Ibadan, Prof Olu Ajakaiye, enjoined government to put in place the necessary infrastructure that would drive the industrialisation goal of Nigeria.
According to him, Nigerians have the penchant to consume foreign goods at the expense of local manufacturers, adding that this has further sank the industrial base into comatose.
Commenting on the employment creation policy of the federal government, another speaker, Prof. C Anyanwu, stated that MDAs have mandates to tie their contracts to job creation and show which jobs will be created from each contract.
She said a call has gone to the National Universities Commission (NUC) to ensure that entrepreneurship development courses are taught in tertiary institutions.
Director-General of SMEDAN, Alhaji Bature Umar Masari, explained that a new programme with a lot of potentials for job creation is on-going in all the states of the federation geared towards poverty reduction.
He said there are specialised programmes for women and youth which are in the process of being fine-tuned and would be sent to the Federal
Executive Council for approval. The programmes would help bring the targeted groups out of poverty, he explained
Moderator of the meeting and Executive Director of CSEA, Dr Ebere Uneze, stressed that in spite of the significant progress made in achieving robust economic growth in the last decade, unemployment has remained high.
