To achieve sustainable solutions for youth unemployment, the Ogun State government in Southwest Nigeria has been advised to promptly establish the State Employment Council by the National Employment Policy and bolster the Bureau of Job Creation by providing it with legal support.
These actions were among 21 recommendations outlined in a communiqué released after the inaugural Ogun State Employment Conference 2023 entitled “Addressing Employment and Job Creation in Ogun State: Tapping into Local and Global Opportunities.”
The conference was held in Abeokuta and hosted by the state government in collaboration with Germany’s Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
According to the communique compiled at the 2-day event, and reeled out by the National President of the Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), Dr. Femi Egbesola, the Council when set up will oversee all issues relating to employment opportunities, job creation, as well as the alleviation of unemployment in the State and will equally have the governance of Labour Market Information System as its major sub-component.
The communique also encouraged the State government to strengthen the capacity of the State Bureau of Statistics to deliver on their data gathering function by recruiting more staff for the Bureau and exposing the staff to cutting-edge training given the critical role the Agency is expected to play in gathering labour and employment-related data.
It also encouraged the State Government to strengthen the capacity of the State Bureau of Statistics to deliver on their data gathering function by recruiting more staff for the Bureau and exposing the staffers to cutting-edge training.
The communique further recommends the urgent adoption of the National Employment Policy of the Federal government adding that the State government may adopt the policy to suit the peculiarities of the State.
Other recommendations include the need for the State government to provide financial and political resources towards ensuring the success of ongoing efforts at making the Labour Market Information System functional as well as building a robust policy framework truly owned by the State to drive job and employment creation.
