Bankole: SBI Media Workshop to reach 2million young Nigerians

In announcing the third edition of the SBI Media Workshop, Rotimi Bankole, CEO of SBI Media and founder of the workshop, has revealed the organisers’ ambitions to reach up to two million young Nigerians in 2022. He made this known while emphasising the growing rate of unemployment in the country, and how the workshop is designed to inform and empower young professionals in the media industry.

According to data from Statista, the unemployment rate in Nigeria was estimated to reach 33 percent in 2022. This figure was an increase from 32.5 percent recorded in the preceding year. Chronological data show that the unemployment rate in Nigeria has risen steadily in the past three years.

Further impacting the situation, employers and businesses across the country and elsewhere continue to shudder amidst growing economic concerns, with announcements of layoffs and staff downsizing making the rounds in recent weeks and months. “SBI Media Workshop was designed and commenced at a time of great uncertainty. We researched and investigated possible solutions to drive youth empowerment in a time when many businesses froze hiring. The model we’ve operated and validated over the last two editions has shown us that we can scale the impact we’ve achieved over previous iterations, and we believe we can indeed reach as many as 2 million young Nigerians in 2022,” said Bankole.

The workshop, which is slated to hold on December 3, 2022, at the Radisson Hotel, Ikeja, kicked off in 2020 amidst the fog of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, but has been held every year since then. The theme for this year’s edition is Media in the Blockchain Era, and Bankole assures that the choice of theme is also in line with the workshop’s promise to impact thousands of young Nigerians.

“In many regards, blockchain is the future. Whether in business or leadership, the possibilities it holds are limitless. One of the many benefits that blockchain has is it scalability, its ability to cater to a vast number of users and people, regardless of the industry. This is why we are putting together a solid panel and program that will help young professionals in the media industry unlock some of these possibilities,” Bankole said.

As at press time, the panel of speakers and facilitators announced for this year’s workshop includes Opeyemi Awoyemi, founder of Jobberman and Whogohost; and Fisayo Fosudo, tech YouTuber and media entrepreneur.
Bankole revealed that the workshop this year will cover three main topics: The interface between blockchain technology and media, The future of payments, digital media, and blockchain, and Entrepreneurship opportunities in the blockchain ecosystem..

He also added that there is up to N2 million worth of BNB coins will up for grabs during the workshop.
“We won’t be able to accommodate everyone at the physical venue, but, as it was in 2020 and 2021, there will be room for as many people as may be willing to join in via livestream on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram,” Bankole said.