Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) young Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) have raised the alarm over high rate of youth unemployment, multidimensional poverty and all manner of social vices perpetrated mostly by young people in the country.
The Chairman of the Young ACCI CEOs, Fife Banks, who made the observations in Abuja, said in spite of the challenges, the country is blessed with a crop of young people who have chosen not to be a part of the problem, but are striving daily to create value-adding changes from the long-standing challenges and utilising their platforms to inspire and empower other young people.
Banks noted that the ACCI Young CEOs mission is to create a veritable platform to expand and empower Nigeria’s, particularly the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, start-up ecosystem by inspiring and investing in youth-led socio-economic innovations and entrepreneurial ventures, driving overall national prosperity development.
Disclosing that the body has initiated an annual summit to reward Nigerians who have contributed to the development and empowerment of young people, he explained that the initiative is geared towards charting the course for developing shared and sustainable prosperity for the nation in the fourth industrial revolution, which is now being fast-tracked by the aftermath of the global pandemic and the acceleration of exponential technologies.
According to him: “The vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo will attend the Young CEOs Summit and Honour billed to hold on February 17 as the special guest of honour.
“Young CEOs Summit and Honours will also host dynamic keynote speakers and subject matter experts as panelists, policy makers, members of the diplomatic community and development partners, among others.
“The event which is to be Chaired by the Minister of Youth and Sport Development, Sunday Dare, will be co-chaired by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), Otunba Niyi Adebayo. Other notable speakers/panelists that will discuss issues including AfCFTA, technology, policies and leadership will be present.
“The award presentations, which is for Nigerians who have contributed to the development and empowerment of young people and to notable Young CEOs that have contributed immensely, will take place same day with the launch of the Young CEOs Africa Investors Dealroom (A.I.D).
“The Young CEOs is the fourth category of membership of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) inaugurated by the President, Dr Al-Mujtaba Abubakar in May, 2020. It advocates that young entrepreneurs are innovative, resilient and energetic to expand various sectors of the economy through mentorship and networking.”
