Mastercard Foundation in partnership with Enterprise Development Centre has restated the commitment to support 40,000 youth with requisite learnings and resources that would assist them to expand and grow their business. This was disclosed by the Program Lead, MSME Finance, Mastercard Foundation, Chioma Nwagboso during the Creative Summit Nigeria held on Thursday, November 11, 2021, in Lagos.
According to Nwagboso, the organization working with EDC, through the Transforming Nigerian Youth Program,40,000 young people across the country will be supported annually with the resources and learning required to start, grow, and expand their businesses. The program will also provide support and resources to young people who want to become employable in the agriculture and creative sector.
“The creative industry is one of the three critical areas of focus for the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Work Strategy. The objective of this strategy is to enable access to dignified and fulfilling work opportunities for 30 million Africans of which 70% will be women by 2030. In Nigeria, the target is to enable the same access to 10 million Nigerians by 2030 with 70% of them as women”, she said.
Speaking on the topic titled “Talent is Not Enough, We need more” she noted that young person in the creative industry has a lot to gain by collaborating with people with similar creative interest to enable them to turn their creative talents into big opportunities that could increase incomes and improve their livelihood.
While recalling her experience as a youth a few years ago, she noted that good qualification or talent is no longer a guaranteed pathway to success stating that every creative person desirous of moving to the next level must intentionally take action or decision that would help convert their skills into opportunities.
In her welcome remarks, Deputy Director, Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, Nneka Okekearu who commended Mastercard Foundation for the partnership stated that the creative summit was borne out of the need to help young people unleash their potentials into opportunities that would help improve their means of livelihood.
Also speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Director, TASCK creative agency, Mr. Jude Abaga noted that to be successful in the creative industry, upcoming acts must be open and willing to learn, show consistency and be realistic about the future. Abaga explained that most successful artists seen nowadays had gone through difficult phases or journeys to arrive at their current position urging upcoming acts to be prepared to confront their challenges.
