Experts advocate sectoral engagement to create jobs, grow economy, others

Industry experts have called for sectoral engagement to tackle the rising spate of unemployment, grow the nation’s economy, and drive sustainable development.They reiterated the need for public, private and social sectors to collaborate, and mobilise resources to accelerate growth in the country.
    
They made the resolution recently at the third edition of the Aspire Coronation Trust (ACT) Foundation breakfast dialogue in Lagos.Chief Executive Officer, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) and Entrepreneur in Residence, Ausso Leadership Academy, Austin Okere, also the keynote speaker, identified five models for analysing social growth, which include, organisations, population, enablers, infrastructure, and stable socio-political environment.
  
Noting that there are about 37 million Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) in Nigeria, he said: “If each of these SMEs are mentored to employ one more person, then we are going to create as much as 37 million more jobs. This will suck up the entire 21 million unemployed people and there will be some leftovers for immigrants to get jobs”
  
Identifying leadership as an important aspect in the development of the country, the entrepreneur said: “Without effective leadership it will be impossible to achieve the true social and economic development. Effective government creates framework for stronger institutions, transparency and respect for the rule of law.”
  
In her remarks, Chief Executive Officer, ACT, Osayi Alile, said the essence of the dialogue was to gather the social, public and private sector to proffer long lasting solutions that would enable sustainable impact.
  
The event also unveiled the finalists and top three winners; Infiuss, PadUp Creations and NatalCares won of the ChangeMakers Innovation Challenge, an initiative of ACT Foundation to respond to the great work of community non-profits and social enterprises in Africa, who are leveraging technology/digital tools to create social change in their communities.

The winners received a grant of $13,000 and professional Canon Cameras. The first place winner, Melisa Bime, CEO of Infiuss, a revolutionary health-tech startup that connects health facilities to a vast database of blood banks in other institutions in Cameroon, expressed delight to have emerged winner of the first ever ChangeMakers Innovation Challenge.