‘Only one out of 100 Nigerian graduates employable’

The Director General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, Dr Umaru Radda has said that only one out of 100 Nigerian graduates were employable, attributing the situation to poor skills and lack of entrepreneurial competence.

Radda, who spoke on Thursday at the opening ceremony of the sensitization for the Young Business Owners in Nigeria programme held at Amawbia in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, said it was to address the challenge that informed the initiation of the programme by SMEDAN. .

He said: “There is no doubt that the unemployment situation in Nigeria has reached a crisis level. Statistics have shown that only one out of every 100 graduates is assured of getting a job in Nigeria.

“One of the major causes of unemployment is skill shortage occasioned by dearth of skilled personnel and entrepreneurial competence, inadequate capacity of vocational skill centres and the non-orientation of the educational system to the production of vocational skills that are aligned to industry requirements.

“The Young Business Owners in Nigeria is designed to provide a platform where existing entrepreneurs, either as standalone or cooperatives, will be competitively selected for further support. The support package is aimed at reducing some of the fundamental challenges that usually confront Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs.”