By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
As Nigeria battles rising youth unemployment and the growing need for sustainable livelihoods, the Managing Director of Excel Optoelectronics Company Limited, Ambassador Emmanuel Shoon Patrick, has identified optoelectronics as a technology driven sector capable of creating jobs, developing technical skills and promoting economic independence among young Nigerians.
Patrick stated this in Abuja, stressing that the private sector has an important role to play in addressing unemployment by creating opportunities beyond the traditional government employment system.
According to him, youth empowerment remains a major component of his entrepreneurial activities, with Excel Optoelectronics providing employment opportunities, practical skills development, start-up support and other interventions aimed at helping young people become self-reliant.
He said the intervention was particularly significant at a time when technology-driven enterprises were becoming increasingly important to Nigeria’s economic development.
He explained that optoelectronics, which combines optics and electronics, has applications in telecommunications, security, lighting, automation and other emerging technologies.
He said young Nigerians exposed to the sector could acquire practical work experience, develop technical skills and gain access to opportunities that could enable them to establish or expand their own businesses.
“My concern on youth empowerment is unemployment, poverty and economic exclusion among young Nigerians.
“You can see that government agencies and development organisations are searching for sustainable ways to address these challenges.
“The private sector can come in with interventions that combine employment, technical training and entrepreneurship support to complement existing public-sector programmes,” he said.
The Excel Optoelectronics boss stressed that addressing Nigeria’s unemployment challenge would require stronger collaboration between government and the private sector, noting that businesses must play a direct role in creating opportunities for young people.
He said individuals and organisations had a responsibility to contribute to national development by investing in people, creating economic value and supporting initiatives that enable Nigerians to become productive.
Patrick, however, noted that expanding youth-focused interventions would require a stronger enabling environment for businesses.
“Access to finance, reliable infrastructure, supportive government policies, technology and strategic partnerships remain critical to enabling enterprises with a youth-development focus to scale their operations and reach more beneficiaries,” he said.
He also highlighted the potential of private businesses to contribute to Nigeria’s economic transformation beyond the provision of goods and services.
According to him, Excel Optoelectronics’ focus on young Nigerians represents an intersection between technology, entrepreneurship and human-capital development.
He said tackling youth unemployment should not be left to government alone, but should involve businesses, financial institutions, development organisations and other stakeholders working together to create pathways for young Nigerians to acquire skills, secure employment and build sustainable enterprises.
“As Nigeria seeks to build a more productive and technology-driven economy, entrepreneurs who combine business growth with opportunities for young people could become important partners in efforts to expand employment and strengthen economic inclusion,” he emphasised.
He said the objective of his intervention extended beyond building an enterprise, stressing that it was also about using entrepreneurship and technology to create opportunities for a generation whose economic participation would be critical to Nigeria’s future.
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