Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, has challenged entrepreneurs in the state to develop their skill sets and new ideas to grow the state’s economy. Sanwo-Olu, who spoke at the inaugural Lagos Island Business Fair in 2022, stated that youths must be actively productive to transform the economy’s dominant narratives.
The governor, speaking through the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Cooperatives, Mrs. Adetutu Ososanya, encouraged young people to become social business entrepreneurs and contribute to the world rather than just generating money.
He emphasized that the event’s topic, “EDU-SOCIAL for Entrepreneurs in Lagos Island and Lagos State Toward Social Economic Empowerment,” is an intriguing idea that will help to shape Lagos’ socioeconomic landscape.
“I believe this platform can leverage socioeconomic networking and information technology to provide more interactive opportunities for the teeming youth of Lagos Island and its environs from diverse cultural, religious, social, and educational backgrounds to advance their businesses and services,” he said.
Ms. Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, Co-Founder of Lagos Island Connect (LIC), stated that the Fair was created in response to the need to assist businesses and youths in the Lagos Island area in particular, and Lagos State in general.
She felt that the economy required the main parts of adding more workers to the labor and driving productivity higher, hence creating more products and services, to achieve growth.
She did, however, appeal to the Minister of Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, to provide more fit-for-purpose facilities on Lagos Island, which is said to be the richest local government area in the country due to the vast number of enterprises and corporate entities there.
Mrs. Solape Hammond, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Investments, stated during her presentation that collaboration on business connectivity in Lagos Island has been strengthened with critical engagement through an economic summit by addressing the need to chart a way forward on business demands.
Hammond pushed young people, particularly entrepreneurs, to use technology to expand their firms.
In conclusion, this means that the governor of Lagos state urges the young adults and the vibrant entrepreneur youth to take the bold step towards advancing the economy through its innovation and skills to include technology.
The youth has a major role in society as they can move the economy towards liberation from poverty, improve quality of life, and enhance sustainable development. This movement can only be possible if the governor of Lagos state creates an avenue or a platform that could enhance and build up the youth and opportune access to government loans and revenue, if not this will only be a mere dream as economic problems keep surfacing on daily basis.
