The founder of a social enterprise and skill advocate, iCreate Africa, Bright Jaja, has called on the federal government to prioritize equipping the Nigerian youths especially women with skills that are globally on demand.
Jaja who made the call during a conference that brought together women of note to commemorate the 2023 International Women’s Day (IWD) with the theme: “Women in Construction”, yesterday in Abuja stressed the need for parents not to discourage their female children on skills acquisition.
While bemoaning how the society has identified certain types of jobs only suitable for women, he called on women across Africa, particularly in Nigeria, to step away from the norm and become professionals in any field they have passion for.
Jaja said that with the humongous number of youths in Nigeria, the federal government must now begin to create platforms where youths can learn valuable skills, as part of efforts to meet the expectation of the international community.
He said: “Our parents, our community structures, have designated a particular kind of profession for women, things like makeup, cooking, nursing. I don’t understand why people want to be that way. We have moved from 100 years ago. We’re now in the future. Everything has changed. The world can not be changed and human behaviour remains the same.
“Go ahead, do whatever you think you have passion for. The problem is this, I am not saying you should do something that you’re not interested in. Just because everybody is saying do this, No. Whatever you’re interested in, do not let societal perception or societal tag. If it is tailoring, do it, if it’s plumbing, do it.
“We live in a generation right now where young people are focused more on things that are easily accessible. Like they want to be influencers, they want to be acknowledged and skills are taken the backdoor, and that cannot work.
“The only thing African Africa has that is an advantage to Africa is our skills. We have a high number of young people and because of that the world is looking to us for skills and what the federal government can do for us as young people and a generation of leaders is to equip us with the skills that are in demand globally, and this is technical and vocational skills, construction, to creative art and fashion, mechanical engineering everything after using your hand to work have to be prioritized. We need to stop investing in universities, and start investing in technical schools and polytechnics.”
In her keynote address on “Embracing Equity and Equality”, Yemi Sola-Adebiyi, called on women to follow their passion, particularly those who are interested in the construction industry, adding that the Construction Industry has gone through a lot of changes in the last couple of decades.
She added that safety issues and digital technology are helping in driving and changing the narratives, stating that there is no better time for women to get into this industry than now.
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