A country with a healthy youth population gives an indication of overall development and progress. Likewise, youth entrepreneurship in any society is a sign of progress. It has an impact on social as well as cultural and economic progress of the society.
Undeniably, the need to create value in the lives of our youths has given rise to numerous appeals for instilling entrepreneurship skills amongst them. One of the major challenges faced by most of the countries in the world today is youth unemployment. The overall unemployment rate is growing at an alarming speed. Amongst the unemployed, unemployment of youth seems to be alarming
Since entrepreneurship involves wealth creation leading to gainful employment and advancing society, the need therefore to strengthen entrepreneurship programmes has become imperative.
And so when the authorities of the Baze University, Abuja invited Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, President of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), to become its Patron to the Network of African Students Entrepreneurship (NASE) club, it was heralded as brilliant.
Adetokunbo Kayode, a corporate lawyer, tax expert, international arbitrator, Life Bencher has served Nigeria as minister in four different positions: Culture and Tourism; Labour, Employment; Federal Attorney General and Hon Minister of Justice and as Minister of Defence.
In a letter signed by the Coordinator, Entrepreneurship Programme of the University, Ms. Shulammite Paul, Prince Kayode was described as a man whose wealth of experience, midas touch, contacts and wherewithal can be used to effectively impact of budding entrepreneurs.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria in the letter was enjoined to use the opportunity to contribute to the much needed efforts to building the nation’s economy from the entrepreneurial perspective.
He is to work to “impact on young and vibrant minds at the University with a special focus on making the institution entrepreneur hub committed to creating innovative solutions to social and economic problems by exposing her students to relevant creative skill development experiences thereby making them solution providers to the socio-economic problems bedeviling their communities and the nation at large.
“Your valuable experience in this very frontier is needed to help the university achieve this laudable goal.
“In line with global practice and to meet the needs of their immediate communities, we will certainly appreciate your assistance and experience in putting this in place”, the institution emphasised.
Also, Provost of the ACCI Business Entrepreneurial Skills and Technology (BEST) Centre, Prof. Adesoji Adesugba and Director of the Vemtre, Victoria Akai were selected to serve as advisors and mentors.
Base University said it is poised on creating an entrepreneurship centre in the institution to enhance skill training opportunities to her student in line with the global practice and digital age to meet with their needs of their immediate environment/communities.
“Base University is focused on making the institution an entrepreneurship hub which is committed to creating innovative solutions to Social and economic problems by exposing her students to relevant creative skill development experiences, thereby making them solution providers.”
They will be inducted at the launching of the Baze University chapter of the Network for African Students Entrepreneurs (NASE) on the 16th of July, 2019.
It is a known fact that entrepreneurship in any society is a sign of progress. The IT business in US has been the bedrock for youth entrepreneurship and created stars and multi-millionaires in Bill Gates, Steve Jobs to Google’s Sergy Brin and Larry Page and many more. There are similar such stories in other countries and Nigeria could join them too.