By Robert Egbe
Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Ltd, Matthieu Seguin; Nigerian Breweries, Jordi Borrut Bel; Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Oyeyimika Adeboye; IBM, Dipo Faulkner, VEROD Capital Management, Danladi Verhijer and others have endorsed the Nigeria Business League for Youth.
The Nigeria Business League for Youth is a private sector initiative spearheaded by the NBC to remove obstacles impeding opportunities for youth in the country to succeed in their chosen career paths.
It was unveiled on Thursday, 24 September during the NBC’s 2020 Youth Summit themed ‘Positioning for the New Global Economy’ which held virtually.
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, who was keynote speaker and also backed the initiative, was joined by others including First Bank Chairman, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, and transformational coach, Mr. Jimi Tewe.
Announcing the initiative, NBC MD Seguin explained that it reflects the leading consumer packaged goods company’s commitment towards supporting the social and economic development of communities in which it operates.
“NBC is passionate about the growth of Nigerian youth, especially given the current challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. At NBC, we pride ourselves in being a youth-focused organisation that is committed to the social and economic development of the Nigerian youth. For example, from 2017 till date through our Youth Empowered programme alone, over 18,000 youths have been positively impacted.
Affirming Nigerian Breweries’ support for the Nigeria Business League for Youth, the company’s CEO, Bel, thanked NBC for the initiative and highlighted its interventions for uplifting Nigerian youths.
For Cadbury’s MD, Adeboye, it was time the private sector worked with the government to secure the future of Nigerian youths.
Chigozie Ejimogu, who represented Verod Capital’s MD, also affirmed the firm’s commitment to the Nigeria Business League for Youth while commending the initiative.
The keynote speaker and Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, who spoke on ‘Strategic Roadmap for Youth Development Post-COVID-19’ charged the youth to turn current challenges into opportunities that guarantee employment and productivity.
The Minister who also had the honour of the launching the Nigeria Business League for Youth, disclosed that his ministry has started recalibrating its youth-oriented initiatives to ensure they deliver the skill sets and support that young people need to succeed now and post-COVID-19.
In her speech entitled ‘Nigerian Youth: Reskilling for Self and National Development’, FirstBank Chairman Mrs Awosika commended NBC for holding the summit despite the uncertainties of the pandemic.
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