Goal 8 of the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without the input of
the private sector.
It focuses on job creation and economic development. This is why the Foundation
for Corporate Social Responsibility and Children’s Rights (“CSR Children”) took
the lead in engaging chief executive officers (CEOs) and business leaders in
the Nigerian private sector at the 3rd Annual CEO Forum hosted by the
organization in Lagos .
CSR
Children (under the auspices of The Children and Business Network) were
commended by the former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola at the
inaugural CEO Forum in 2013, where he delivered the Keynote Address, for being
the first not for profit organization in Nigeria to actively engage the private
sector to support children rights and their development.
With
the role of the private sector being stressed by the United Nations as pivotal
to the success of the new Sustainable Development Goals, the 2015 edition of
the Annual CEO Forum by CSR Children has been viewed as a pioneering step
especially with its focus on Youth Unemployment.
CEO
of CSR Children Ms. Toyin Olakanpo, in her Welcome Address stated that her
organization had to prioritize this topic of youth unemployment because over
50% of the population in Nigeria were children ages 15 years and under.
She
identified them as the ticking time bomb — 80 million children who in a few
years will be looking for work and job opportunities; children who if not taken
care of by civil society, private sector and government will become another
statistic in the already aggressive youth unemployment figures.
Nigerian
representative to the United Nations industrial Development Organisation Dr.
David Tommy, who delivered the Keynote Address summed it all up in his statement:
“if we don’t take care of the young, the young will take care of us”
The
forum was well represented by top business leaders from Nigeria’s buoyant
private sector including; West African Representative for Ford Foundation,
Innocent Chukwuma; CEO of Nestle Nigeria Plc, Dharnesh Gordhon; CEO of Jumia
Africa, Nicolas Martin; CEO of Siemens Limited, Onyeche Tifase; Chairman of
Promasidor Keith Richards; Chief Operating Officer from the Tony Elumelu
Foundation; CEO of Doreo Partners, Kola Masha; CEO of Robert Bosch Limited,
Ghislain Noumbessy; Commissioner for Lagos State, Gbolahan Lawal; Former
Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Jide Sanwoolu; and the Permanent
Secretary for Youth and Sports Development, Lagos State, Hakeem Muri Okunola.
Senior management from Etisalat; GIZ; UBA Bank Plc; UBER Lagos, AACE Foods, Fate Foundation; the African Artist Foundation; ETIWA; International Institute of Tropical Agriculture; and the German Chamber of Commerce were all represented.
Senior management from Etisalat; GIZ; UBA Bank Plc; UBER Lagos, AACE Foods, Fate Foundation; the African Artist Foundation; ETIWA; International Institute of Tropical Agriculture; and the German Chamber of Commerce were all represented.
The diplomatic community also joined the discussions with the Swiss Deputy
Mission, Dr. Daniel Cavegn and the German Consulate Mr. Ingo Herbert as special
guests.
Glamour and beauty was also in attendance on the Creatives Industry panel led
by Nollywood’s Kate Henshaw and Fashion Mogul Lanre Da Silva- Ajayi.
16 expert panelists and 4 speakers were on ground to deliberate on private sector solutions for youth unemployment across various industries including vocational training; e-commerce; fashion; film and music; the arts; manufacturing; agriculture; engineering; entrepreneurship.
16 expert panelists and 4 speakers were on ground to deliberate on private sector solutions for youth unemployment across various industries including vocational training; e-commerce; fashion; film and music; the arts; manufacturing; agriculture; engineering; entrepreneurship.
-The
Guardian
No comments:
Post a Comment