Young Nigerians have been urged to embrace 21st-century skills, digital platforms and purpose-driven entrepreneurship as pathways to sustainable income and economic inclusion in a fast-changing global economy.
   
This charge was delivered at the second edition of the Rose of Sharon Foundation Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP) 2025, held in Lagos, which brought together professionals and budding entrepreneurs to explore practical approaches to building careers and businesses in the digital era.
   
In her address, RoSF Board Member, Gladys Ifeozo, said the initiative was designed to provide young people with tools for relevance in the modern economy. She explained that the programme would equip participants with in-demand skills, expose them to sustainable business models, and help them build personal brands that can thrive in the digital marketplace.
  
Delivering her keynote on “Profit with Purpose,” RoSF coordinator, Oloruntosin Taiwo, challenged participants to look beyond financial gains and root their businesses in purpose and values. She argued that entrepreneurs who connect their passion and personal values with the products and services they offer are more likely to build sustainable ventures. She stressed that true impact comes from meeting needs, building legacies, and creating value that outlives profit.
   
Examining the top 21st-century skills and businesses across the food, transportation and medicare sectors, Dr Senukon Ajose-Harrison listed communication, creativity, collaboration, technology literacy, and leadership, among others, as core skills needed to succeed in today’s economy. He urged young people to take advantage of digital platforms to sell their talents globally, while building multiple income streams and adopting strategies such as innovation, customer retention, and product differentiation. 

Another speaker, Olushola Gbobaniyi, who spoke on: ‘Packaging and Selling Your Skills Online: Examining the Tech and Fashion Industry’, emphasised that education alone was no longer sufficient for career success. 
   
He pointed to fashion and technology as vibrant industries with immense opportunities, citing fashion’s global appetite for African creativity and technology’s dominance in attracting venture capital.

He outlined skills such as branding, design, coding, and product management, while introducing participants to his “3Ps” framework of online business success- Positioning, Pricing, and Presentation. 

He also provided a 90-day roadmap for building an online presence, engaging clients, and monetising skills through digital platforms.
   
He stressed that while the government and institutions must create enabling environments, young Nigerians themselves must take ownership of their growth by innovating, leveraging digital tools and anchoring their work on purpose and values.