The federal government through the Ministry of Youths and Sports development has sealed a deal with Konga, Nigeria’s based composite e-commerce giant to help address the country’s unemployment quagmire.
Speaking during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to seal the partnership in Abuja, the Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Hon. Sunday Dare said the Ministry of Youths and Sports are of the view that public-private partnerships remain the way forward when it comes to the onerous task of creating opportunities for the youths.
He noted that this belief has come to the fore with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and has also been reinforced by a recent World Bank report. ‘‘We are delighted to have a technology-driven partner such as Konga partnering with us on this programme. Also, we are confident that through this MoU which we have signed today, we will be re-writing the narrative for millions of Nigerian youths who are the beneficiaries of this project,’’ he said.
The initiative was unveiled under Konga Jobs (KJ), youth empowerment and job creation scheme of the Konga Group. Specifically, the partnership will see Konga deploy its world-class assets, huge resources and cutting-edge technology backbone, while also placing its growing list of thriving subsidiaries across multiple verticals at the disposal of Nigerian youths who are desirous of an opportunity to earn a meaningful living and create wealth. Konga says the scheme is targeted at the employed, unemployed and under-employed Nigerian youths across the board.
According to the Chairman, Konga Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, since its acquisition nearly three years ago, Konga, which pioneered the marketplace structure in Africa in addition to a long list of innovative strategies, has grown immensely beyond the expectations of all e-commerce watchers, with the company becoming arguably Africa’s biggest Composite e-commerce platform and the first to hit profitability on the continent.
While lauding the Ministry for its proactive zeal in closing the partnership, Mr. Ekeh noted that Konga is driven by youths, who have the capacity to deliver world-class corporates, even with all structural challenges confronting the country.
He further challenged Nigerian youths to use their intellectual capital and digital skills to defend the nation and become global citizens, stressing that their passion in this century must pay their bills.