UN, SMILE canvass investment in cutting-edge innovations

In commemoration of this year’s International Youths Day, Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Nigeria, Ronald Kayanja and founder of Strategy for Mentoring Initiative and Leadership Empowerment (SMILE), Bimpe Bamgbose-Matins, have stressed the need to invest in youths to achieve digital innovation.

Speaking in Lagos at the weekend, Kayanja observed that a large percentage of the African population are young people hence “the focus is on the digital economy.

“If you want digital innovation, you must focus on training young people in Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics (STEM) and connectivity. “Africa must invest in innovation or we will be left behind. We endanger ourselves if we don’t invest in cutting-edge innovation. Young people are leading the charge in digital adoption and innovation, with three-quarters of those aged 15 to 24 using the Internet in 2022, a rate higher than other age groups. By celebrating the digital contributions of youth, we can inspire further innovation and collaboration towards achieving sustainable development,” he said.

Bamgbose-Matins observed that youths are critical stakeholders in development, but that they are often undermined.
Speaking further, she said mentoring is extremely important to help youths to actualise their potential.

She cautioned: “We should stop seeing youths as problems. We must change the dynamics. We must see them as assets.”