The plight of young entrepreneurs and innovators in Nigeria, who have no support from their families or government, is now a source of worry to community groups, who want government at all levels to put in place a platform of support to encourage them.
This issue was brought up at a Youth empowerment programme in a Abuja.
Maryam Muhammed reports that there is a large number of young Nigerians with skills, innovative ideas, and business enterprises, whose only challenge is that they don’t have the means to follow their dreams
Their first call for support is usually family members, or well-meaning Nigerians. But with the economy in its rocky state, that source of support is
dwindling fast.
It is why they are now turning to government to give them a platform to showcase their skills and talent to improve the Nigerian economy.
There is the fear that if youth with entrepreneurial skills and innovative ideas are not given, encouragement from any angle, they may lose interest
in that skill or idea, and this in the long run would be detrimental to the nation’s development
According to statistics from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), about 82 per cent of young Nigerians perceive a good opportunity to start a
business while eighty-six per cent believe that they have the skills and knowledge necessary to start a business.
There is a perception that young males are more disposed to explore good entrepreneurial opportunities and capabilities than females.
The youths are calling on the well-meaning Nigerians and the Federal government to empower them and not discourage them, so the Nigerian economy can improve.
The community groups want young entrepreneurs, youths with innovative ideas and vision to start with whatever they have no matter how small it is, as it will bring up the support and recognition they need to improve themselves.
