ABUJA (ILO News) – As part of a joint ILO-ITU programme on Boosting decent jobs and enhancing digital skills for youth in Africa’s digital economy, which is supported by the African Union, the Regional Directors of ILO, Ms Cynthia Samuel-Olonjuwon and ITU, Mr Andrew Rugege, jointly undertook a two-day high-level mission on 3-4 March 2020 to Abuja, Nigeria, to consult with representatives of the Government, the UN, development partners, academia and youth representatives.

While addressing partners at the consultative meetings, the Regional Director of the ILO, Ms Samuel-Olonjuwon informed the partners that the Joint ILO-ITU programme on “Boosting decent work and enhancing digital skills for youth in Africa’s digital economy” contributes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, Ouagadougou +10 and Agenda 2063, amongst others.

Ms Samuel-Olonjuwon spelt out the aim of the programme to include:

·         Job creation and entrepreneurship opportunities in the digital economy (demand side);

·         Investment in youth digital skills (supply side); and

·         Preparation of private and public employment services for digital era (labour intermediation).

The programme which will operate at both continental and national levels will initially focus on 5 +1 countries, namely Cote d’ Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa. These countries were selected based on commitments by governments, partners and youth themselves. The programme would be drawn up according to the peculiar needs of each country.

The Regional Director of the ITU, Mr Andrew Rugege, stated that Africa was ready to take up the challenge of getting young people to key into and benefit from the enormous gains in the digital economy. The ITU’s mission was to bridge the IT divide by investing in youth in Africa.  He commended the governments of the selected countries for their readiness to provide an enabling environment for the implementation of the programme.

During a joint meeting, the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, the Honourable Minister of Communication and Digital Economy and the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development agreed to work together to ensure the success of the programme in Nigeria.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, announced the set-up of an inter-ministerial task team comprising the ministries of Labour and Employment, Communication and Digital Economy, Youths and Sports Development and Women Affairs, as well as other relevant agencies to key into the emerging digital economy and maximise the opportunities available to young people in Nigeria. He said that inter-ministerial synergy had become imperative in line with recommendations of the National Economic Advisory Council to the President, adding that time had gone when ministries and even parastatals within ministries worked in silos. The Minister commended the Joint ILO-ITU partnership and implored the team to target the abundant digital literacy and skills of Nigerian youths and turn them into productive digital ventures, which could also help to address cybercrimes.

Speaking in the same vein, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim, expressed the preparedness of Nigeria for the digital economy, utilising the partnership of the private sector to create jobs and lift 100 million Nigerians from poverty in 10 years, in line with the vision of the President.  He gave an overview of the strategic pillars of Nigeria’s digital economic vision as well as its goals, saying the focus was to leverage the emerging digital capacities to churn out employers of labour through appropriate alignment of certificates with skills.

On his part, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, commended the ILO-ITU initiative and highlighted the need for sustainability. He called for stronger commitment to ensure youths are not only empowered but made investors and employers of labour.

At a separate meeting, Mr Timothy Olawale, Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultation Association (NECA), stated that youth unemployment was of serious concern to the organization. In an effort to contribute to empowering youth in digital skills, NECA invested in a Digital Learning Centre to equip youth for the industry. There were numerous jobs in the digital economy and that youth needed to be adequately trained to be able to take up or create jobs.        

Other partners that were consulted included the United Nations, the World Bank, other development partners, Baze University and youth representatives. They all expressed their readiness to work together to ensure the success of the programme.