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Olawande’s 21st Century Skills initiative, A Move Towards Re-fertilization Of Nigerian Youths
By Joel Ajayi
Transforming the Nigeria youths to equip the current and future generations with 21st century skills is important. The Africa and National Youth Day 2024 is therefore a historic moment to put a need 21st century skills at the forefront toward the the growth and development of all.
Nigeria as a nation has made meaningful progress in education over the past 60 years, with more girls in school and more students in Higher education system than ever before.
Reports showed that School completion rates have increased from 2000 to 2022 at all levels.
Still, these gains are insufficient to prepare Nigerians youth for the 21st century and its fast-changing professional landscape. By 2030, roughly 60 million jobs iin Nigeria and 230 million in Africa will demand digital skills. Classroom practices must shift to meet these future employability needs and nurture creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving.
Nigeria recorded the largest population of young people in the continent of Africa that means a 21st century skills is critical to to equip the current and future generations.
Based on this, Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande who has been promoter and advocate of digital skiill even before he became Minister has once again initiate digital literacy programmes, technical skills empowerment and leadership insight and urged young people to actively develop and adopt crucial 21st-century skills to effectively combat the rising issue of unemployment.
When he was Minister Youth for State, he introducing the Youth Development Fund to support young entrepreneurs, implementing the Youth Empowerment Program, training over 10,000 young people in vocational skills, establishing the Youth Mentorship Initiative, pairing young people with experienced professionals, and developing the National Youth Policy, providing a framework for youth development.
He also initiated the “One Youth One Ward” initiative to tackle drug abuse, established the Youth Innovation Hub, hosted the National Youth Conference, rolled out the Youth Volunteer Program, fostered partnerships with private sector organizations amongst others.
He has implement innovative programs, foster strategic partnerships, and demonstrated unwavering commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunities.
Now Minister of Youth without doubt has been at the forefront of this journey, demonstrating unwavering dedication to empowering Nigerians youth even from his school days.
Comrade Ayodele Olawande made this appeal today in Abuja during the Africa and National Youth Day Celebration with the theme : ‘ Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century’ and sub-theme: ‘Building a Resilient Education System: A New Hope for Nigerian Youth’,
He said such skills like critical thinking, digital literacy, and effective communications are essential tools for navigating the increasingly competitive job markets.
Olawande strongly advocated for the youth of Nigeria to prioritize the investment of their time and put efforts in developing a diverse range of essential skills and competencies by actively engaging in the pursuit that can significantly enhance their employability that will make them attractive candidates before their potential employers.
According to the Minister, “acquiring these skills will equip youth to confidently navigate the complexities and demands of an increasingly competitive job market, where adaptability and innovation are crucial. This proactive approach plays a vital role in addressing the rising unemployment crisis that has been affecting many young Nigerians today.”
“Through dedicated skill development, they can not only improve their job prospects but also lay the groundwork for sustainable career growth and success in the long run. In this rapidly evolving economic landscape, embracing continuous learning and professional development is not just beneficial; it is essential for achieving one’s career aspirations,” he explained.
The Minister further explained that the theme, “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century,” serves as a powerful endorsement of the One Youth Two Skills initiative, adding that it will foster practical skills alongside formal education.
Olawande stated : “This initiative aims to empower youth and create sustainable employment opportunities. Ultimately, the initiative is a key component of the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to eliminate unemployment and promote economic growth across the continent”.
In his paper presentation, Professor Ahmed Adamu, a lecturer at Nile University, Abuja, stated that by next year, 85 million jobs will be lost due to technological advancements, while 97 million new jobs are expected to be created.
Professor Adamu stressed that the future job market will heavily favour those individuals who proactively seek to acquire new skills and adapt to the evolving technological landscape.
Adamu said that for one to go far in whatever they are doing, they must be self-disciplined, duly intelligent and have the consistency in learning.
However, the minister of Youth led the teaming youths on a road walk from the Ministry to BMO Event Centre to Celebrate Africa and National Youth Day.
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Strategic Partnerships, Diaspora Investment and Improved Workforce Critical to Industrialization-DG RMRDC
By: Stella Azi and Adaora Adibe
The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, has called for a strategic shift from the exportation of raw commodities to domestic processing, manufacturing and value addition, declaring that Nigeria possesses enormous untapped raw material resources capable of driving industrialisation, creating jobs and strengthening the country’s economic competitiveness.
Prof. Ike-Muonso made this submission in a lecture titled Unlocking Nigeria’s Raw Material Value Chain for Industrialization, Manufacturing and Competitiveness, where he presented an extensive assessment of Nigeria’s resource endowments, industrial challenges and emerging investment opportunities across agricultural commodities, solid minerals and waste-based raw materials.
The lecture highlighted a combined US$2.65 trillion global market opportunity across 30 major raw material value chains, comprising 12 agricultural value chains valued at US$932 billion, 11 mineral value chains worth US$1.352 trillion and seven circular-economy value chains estimated at US$366 billion.
According to the RMRDC Boss, Nigeria must move beyond the traditional approach of extracting and exporting raw materials to building competitive domestic industries that transform these resources into intermediate products, industrial inputs and finished goods for local consumption and international markets.
He observed that the country’s manufacturing sector has struggled to sustain its 2014 peak, with its contribution to real Gross Domestic Product declining from 9.64 per cent in 2014 to 8.05 per cent in 2025, representing a 16.5 per cent decline. He also drew attention to the increasing cost of raw material imports, which rose to US$20.5 billion in 2025, approximately six times the 2020 level.
He explained that the growing dependence on imported industrial inputs exposes Nigerian manufacturers to foreign exchange volatility, increases production costs and weakens the competitiveness of locally manufactured products.
Prof. ke-Muonso stressed that the solution lies in developing domestic raw material value chains through deliberate investment in processing facilities, research and development, technology, infrastructure and stronger linkages between producers, processors and manufacturers.
He identified agriculture, solid minerals and industrial waste as three major resource platforms for Nigeria’s industrial transformation, stating the country’s significant production capacity and the enormous opportunities available for downstream processing.
Ike-Muonso noted that Nigeria produces over 63 million metric tonnes of cassava annually, making it the world’s largest producer, while also maintaining strong positions in cocoa, cashew, sesame, palm oil and cotton. However, more than 80 per cent of agricultural output leaves farms without adequate processing, resulting in the loss of significant economic value and industrial opportunities.
In the solid minerals sector, he identified more than 44 commercially viable minerals across over 500 locations, including lithium, gold, barite, bitumen, iron ore and high-grade limestone, describing them as strategic resources capable of supporting steel production, energy storage, electrification and advanced manufacturing.
The DG further drew attention to Nigeria’s industrial and agro-waste resources, noting that the country generates over 32 million tonnes of solid waste annually. He explained that agricultural residues, cassava peels, scrap metals, plastics and electronic waste could serve as important feedstock for bio-fertilisers, industrial chemicals, recycled polymers, energy production and other manufacturing applications.
In the agricultural sector, the DG identified cassava and industrial starch, cotton and natural textiles, natural rubber and elastomers, oil palm and oleochemicals, maize derivatives and cocoa processing as priority areas requiring increased investment.
He explained that processing agricultural commodities into industrial starch, sweeteners, textiles, technical rubber, specialty fats and other intermediate products would enable Nigeria to capture more value from its agricultural resources while reducing dependence on imported industrial inputs.
For the minerals sector, he highlighted crude oil-to-olefins and petrochemicals, lithium and energy storage, iron ore and steel, rare earth elements, bauxite and aluminium, and copper and electrification as strategic investment opportunities.
He particularly emphasised the importance of moving beyond mineral extraction into beneficiation, refining, battery precursors, industrial chemicals, metal fabrication and advanced materials production.
On the circular economy, Prof. Ike-Muonso identified electronic waste recovery, scrap metal recycling, plastic waste processing, agro-waste valorisation and battery recycling as emerging industrial opportunities.
He explained that transforming waste into productive industrial feedstock would not only reduce environmental pollution but also create new manufacturing industries, generate employment and reduce the importation of valuable industrial materials.
He noted that to address the structural challenges confronting raw material-based industrialisation, the DG highlighted the strategic interventions of the RMRDC, particularly the proposed 30% Value Addition Bill and the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP).
He described the 30% Value Addition Bill as an important policy instrument designed to encourage domestic processing of raw materials before export, strengthen local manufacturing capacity and guarantee access to essential raw materials for Nigerian industries, and NISSRAMP as a critical data infrastructure that would improve access to verified information on the availability, location and quality of raw materials.
According to him, the combination of appropriate policy instruments and reliable resource data would help de-risk investments, improve transparency and strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s raw material sector.
He emphasised the importance of collaboration among government, academia and industry in developing bankable projects, sharing investment risks and accelerating the establishment of processing and manufacturing facilities.
Professor Ike-Muonso called on Nigerians in the diaspora and other local and international investors to take advantage of the opportunities available in Nigeria’s raw material sector.
He identified industrial processing parks, mineral beneficiation and refining, agro-industrial platforms, circular-material processing, industrial input manufacturing and enabling infrastructure as viable investment platforms.
He noted that diaspora investors could contribute beyond financial capital by bringing technology, international business networks, governance standards, technical expertise and access to global markets.
He maintained that Nigeria’s industrial transformation requires coordinated investment across the entire value chain, from raw material sourcing and aggregation to processing, manufacturing, certification and export development.
Professor Ike-Muonso stressed that the country’s industrial future would depend not merely on the volume of raw materials extracted but on the capacity to transform them into competitive products that meet domestic and international market requirements.
He maintained that developing local value chains would stimulate industrial growth, create employment opportunities, diversify exports, conserve foreign exchange and deepen Nigeria’s technological capabilities.
Through its strategic interventions, the RMRDC is positioning itself as a critical bridge between resource availability, investment opportunities and industrial competitiveness, with the ultimate objective of transforming Nigeria from a predominantly raw material exporting economy into a strong manufacturing and value-adding nation.
Ike-Muonso has demonstrated this since assumption of office as the Director General/ CEO RMRDC in the area of capacity building, improved working conditions, promotion of merit, and maintaining a conducive environment that rewards excellence, innovation and dedication. This is evident in his institution of RMRDC training school, reward for winners of the RMRDC innovation challenge among others.
His commitment has brought recognition both nationally and internationally: Al-Jazirah double honour awards as Public Servant /Government Agency of the year 2024-2025 and the recent election as the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Representative on the Board of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisations (WAITRO) is a attestation to his commitment.
Concluding the lecture, the DG charged staff, researchers, manufacturers and investors to see themselves as nation builders in the new era of raw materials-led industrialization.
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