Unlocking Youth Livelihoods: Insights from UNGA80 Panel
At #UNGA80, our Chairman, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, joined global leaders including Nigeria’s Vice President, H.E. Kashim Shettima, Botswana’s Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture Hon. Lesego Chombo, and Former Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, at the Generation Unlimited Global Leadership Council Meeting panel discussion. The conversation centred on how governments, the private sector, and young people can work together to unlock opportunities for Africa’s next generation.
At the Generation Unlimited Global Leadership Council Meeting held during #UNGA80, a distinguished panel, including Nigeria’s Vice President H.E. Kashim Shettima, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, and former Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, engaged in an important discussion titled 1 Billion Futures: Unlocking Youth Livelihoods through Public–Private Action. The panel highlighted the urgent need for public, private and youth sectors to collaborate closely in co-designing skills development systems, and in better integrating the informal sector with government infrastructure, investment, and market insights. Young people’s creativity and leadership were recognised as essential to these efforts.
Our Chairman, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, spoke about the range of skills Africa needs to build a resilient workforce. Beyond critical thinking and problem solving, he emphasised the vital importance of an entrepreneurial mindset, one that drives individuals to overcome challenges common in emerging economies by taking initiative and finding solutions. He reminded listeners that expecting African nations with relatively young systems and infrastructure to operate like centuries-old economies is unrealistic. Thus, building a workforce that can navigate obstacles and innovate is key.
Digital skills underpin all these capabilities, and our Chairman also highlighted artificial intelligence’s potential to dramatically close the knowledge and skill gap between Africa and more developed regions, referring to AI as an extraordinary enabler rather than a threat to jobs.
Sharing his experience working with partners such as the King’s Trust International and the Lagos State Government, he noted that offering young people the chance to demonstrate their abilities and to lead is the most empowering investment any corporation can make.
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation is proud to partner with global leaders in building pathways that prepare Africa’s next generation for leadership, innovation, and sustainable livelihoods.