Researchers Advocate Dignified, Fulfilling Work for Nigerian Youths
By Olubunmi Osoteku, Ibadan
A group of researchers have recommended that the government, donor agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), should provide training and funds in order to support Nigerian youths to access dignified and fulfilling work.
The experts submitted that opportunities for stakeholders in the youth employment space to meet with the youth are very rare, which result in disconnections in definitions, expectations and roles, calling for regular dialogues to remedy the situation and make employment policies and interventions more relevant to youth aspiring for dignified and fulfilling work.
The researchers disclosed this at a dissemination and engagement workshop, held in Ibadan, Oyo state, to present the Nigeria Country Report of the Africa Youth Aspirations and Resilience (AYAR) Research and Uptake Project: sponsored by the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), in partnership with Mastercard Foundation.
While giving the project overview, the Principal Investigator, Nigeria Research Team, Dr. Babatunde Ojebuyi, explained that the project tried to investigate the aspirations and resilience strategies of African youths, challenges faced, how they cope, and what they aspire to achieve in life, noting that focus was on Nigeria because the country possesses some unique characteristics that cannot be neglected.
Ojebuyi stated: “In terms of population, out of the 306 million people in Nigeria, the youth constitutes over 70%. So, if you have a country where the youth are the majority and you want to do a programme that wants to address the challenges of the youths, you cannot neglect such country. Apart from that, Nigeria is facing a lot of challenges that are affecting youth aspirations, so we cannot neglect Nigeria in this type of project.”
The Principal Investigator said the research revealed that Nigerian youths, like other African youths, are resilient, have aspirations, want to have dignified jobs, and live dignified and fulfilling lives, but are faced with challenges such as insecurity, inconsistent government policies, Covid-19, and being neglected in policy formulation, regardless of which they remain undaunted and progressive.
He noted: “We recommended that government should create policies that will empower these youths. Donors should also intervene by providing funds, training that will target the specific needs of these youths, especially in the aspect of technology (IT), because we discovered that during the time of Covid-19, they were able to circumvent the challenges by going to the digital space where they were able to survive. They should also include the youths in the policies that they are making.”
In his address, the Director of Research Systems, Strengthening and Knowledge Mobilisation, Mastercard Foundation, Prof. Ayobami Ojebode, explained that the Mastercard Foundation has offices in seven African countries, Nigeria inclusive, and is working in Nigerian states of Kano, Kaduna and Lagos, where about 20% of Nigerian youths live, saying the foundation believes it is more productive, sustainable and respectful to do things with people than to do things for them.
Ojebode stated: “It is better to work with young people as we enable them to access jobs than to simply work for them in their absence. That is why we are supporting a study like this – a study that aims to give space for young people to express their views on the crucial aspects of the work we are doing.
“Dignified and fulfilling work is a subjective reality. What is dignified and fulfilling work to one person may not be to others; what was dignified and fulfilling work thirty years ago may not be today. As a result, it is important to let the young people define for us what they consider dignified and fulfilling. That is the focus of this study,” he submitted.
Giving his opening remarks, the programme coordinator, AYAR Project, PASGR, Joel Otieno, revealed that the global unemployment rate among youths is 14%, while that of Africa is 13%, meaning the rate of unemployment in Africa is more, not because young people do not have jobs but because they do not have jobs that are fulfilling, even though they are resilient and resourceful.
Otieno noted that dignified and fulfilling work answers to the question of moving youths from the place of surviving in employment they have, to a place of thriving in the employment they need, urging stakeholders to come together to make available resources that can empower young people to acquire or access dignified and fulfilling work.
He said: “Governments have the responsibility of ensuring their citizens have enough jobs and enough opportunities. But the responsibility of creating jobs is not only the reserve of government, its also the function of different organisations and the private sector in general. So, coming together to drive opportunities that will provide young people with dignified and fulfilling work is important.”
Part of the workshop was the presentation of findings, lessons and insights, handled by the Project Research Associates, Oluwabusolami Oluwajulugbe and Oluwaseun Ayomipo, who submitted, among other things, that government policies and interventions, aimed at empowering youths, should prioritise youths in rural areas, who were found to be more vulnerable with limited opportunities and weaker adaptability capacity.
Furthermore, members of a panel discussion on, Pathways to Supporting Youth Access to Dignified and Fulfilling Work, agreed with the researchers that Nigerian youths are resilient, hardworking, optimistic and are highly adaptable, calling on governments and stakeholders to support provision of dignified and fulfilling work for the youths.
Participants at the workshop included relevant government agencies, development partners, civil society organisations, youth employment agencies and academics, among others.
