Amujae Leaders Tejumola Abisoye and Dr. Jumoke Oduwole took part in the Lagos Employment Summit to discuss innovative approaches to job creation and present strategies drawn from diverse sectors.

Ms. Abisoye, who is the CEO and Executive Secretary of Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), spoke about the fund’s drive to invest in the potential of Lagos’ young citizens, who constitute 60% of the state’s population.  

Helping Micro-, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) raise funds was one of the approaches adopted by LSETF, Ms. Abisoye said. In addition, employability and tech startup support programs were put in place in order to drive economic growth and create job opportunities. These efforts enabled the fund to help create over 200 thousand jobs, and support more than 20 thousand MSMEs and 400 startups.

Ms. Abisoye also highlighted lessons learned by the trust fund over the years, which focused on creating wide strategic collaborations and partnerships:

“Let’s discuss strategies. Let’s improve results and deliver impact to make sure that we are creating employment faster than the rate of population growth.”

She added that a recovery fund was launched following the outbreak of COVID-19 to help MSMEs withstand the economic shock caused by the pandemic.

In turn, Dr. Oduwole addressed the policies to create sustainable jobs adopted at the national level in a panel discussion focused on how regulations and increasing the ease of doing business can boost employment.

In her role as Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria on the Ease of Doing Business, Dr. Oduwole took part in a campaign that created a platform for discussions between the government and the private sector. She said that the campaign—Listen, Implement, Track—gave entrepreneurs, business owners, and the public the opportunity to voice their opinions about government policies, discuss “what’s working, what isn’t working,” and benefit from each other’s experience.

Dr. Oduwole also touched on the work she undertook recently to help boost business opportunities and spark collaboration at the federal, state, and local government levels that create and nurture a positive business environment.

Watch the full discussions here: https://youtu.be/HOphuJGMvq0