By Merit Ibe
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has disclosed that skill mismatch has continued to contribute to persistent worsening situation of unemployment in the country.
President of the chamber, Mrs Toki Mabogunje, made the remark at a news conference organised in collaboration with a group, ‘The Future Project,’ on plans to train 1,000 young Nigerians under the Future Africa Internship Programme (FAIP).
The LCCI president, represented by Mrs Daramola Bamidele, vice president, LCCI, said the training was part of efforts to improve the nation’s employment indices.
“At the LCCI, we have realised that skill mismatch contributes to persistent worsening of the Nigeria’s unemployment situation.
She said it was therefore, not surprising that employers of labour lament the skill deficiency of job seekers, especially fresh graduates.
“The discordance between school curriculum and industry needs affirms why many young people are unemployed.”
Mabogunje noted that the internship programme was aimed at enabling thousands of young Africans achieve economic sustainability through internships, adding that the initiative was to also address the discordance between school curriculum and industry, to engender more skilled and employable youths in the country.
Emphasising that the scheme was an industry-focused programme with the mandate to build empowered citizens across Africa through enterprise and citizenship, she noted it has direct and indirect benefits for the Nigerian economy via the enhancement of human capabilities, likely moderation in social restiveness and improvement in employability of fresh graduates.
