General News
Closing the Gap in Social Inequality with Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship
By Dayo Aderugbo
For most developed countries, the youths remain an important focus in areas such as economic development, sustainability and nation building. When organisations and the government drive conversations and activities around social investments, these discourse are usually focused on empowering young people as they hold the power to drive growth across all levels of the economy both locally and internationally.
In a country like Nigeria, with lots of liquid resources and just about 2.11 trillion Naira in circulation as at May 2019 according to the CBN, the standard of living for the average citizen does not exactly reflect the volume of Nigeria’s asset. There is an existing gap in connecting education, employment and entrepreneurship within the youths, creating a great layer of social inequality.
Globally, more than 200 million young people are either unemployed, or they have jobs, but continue to live in poverty due to low income. This social and economic inequality is a challenge shared by many countries.
Infact, it is estimated that 1% of the world’s population will own two thirds of its wealth. This level of inequality stifles growth and creates disharmony. It significantly affects disadvantaged young people who often can’t access the skills and opportunities needed to close this income gap.
The question for us now is how do we build a sustainable development agenda, spearheaded by young people now and in the future. How do we invest in them and equip them to learn, earn and grow?
Achieving a more developed and sustainable society as a nation, calls for youth inclusion in closing the obvious existing inequality and prosperity gap. Heavy and consistent investment in the youth through education employment and entrepreneurship will contribute greatly to tackling this challenge.
Youths are often referred to social actors with the abilities to bring revolutionary changes and improvement in any society so there is a need to implement long term strategies to invest in future economies. Active youthful engagement in the labour market is a necessary prerequisite to generating a young people pool of resources for both government and private entities.
In Standard Chartered Bank, we believe that education, employment and entrepreneurship are three key pillars through which young people can be empowered. We do this through our Future Makers project, which seeks to tackle the issue of inequality and promote greater economic inclusion for young people in our communities. We encourage young people especially from low income households to take part in programmes focused on education, employability and entrepreneurship.
Our strong ambition is focused on raising USD50 million through fundraising and Bank-matching between 2019 and 2023 to empower the next generation of young people. We also realized that the success of some of our existing community programmes are projective to include expanding our goal to education programme for girls, incorporating financial education into all of our programmes and developing new global community programmes in employability and entrepreneurship.
We must not also forget the entrepreneurs in our communities, who remain valuable assets. There is a need to inspire and encourage them to their greatest potential as they possess what it takes to change the dynamics of how we live and work. Their innovations may improve standards of living and also create wealth.
Despite the strides made in technology, the “gender digital divide” remains a major concern. There is significant difference in access to technology and financial services for women owned enterprises than men.
In Nigeria, female population comprises of 49.34 per cent of the total population of Nigeria. With fewer income generating opportunities for the population at large, this leaves nearly half of the Nigerian population constituting women deprived of economic empowerment through employment, professional growth and livelihood opportunities. For us at Standard Chartered, this just isn’t good enough.
Similar to several emerging markets like Pakistan and Brazil, Nigeria is currently passing through a demographic transition, which has resulted in an increase in the working-age population i.e. youths comprising nearly half of the population, as a share of the total population.
To reap the ‘demographic dividend’ of this change, the economy needs to provide education and create productive and remunerative employment for young workforce entrants. Moreover, innovation through digitisation and entrepreneurship is a crucial and workable element in human capital development.
The bank has recently launched the Women in Tech Incubator programme (WiT) to help close this divide. WiT Tech targets female-led entrepreneurial teams and we provide them with training, mentorship and seed funding.
The incubators includes mentorship with the Bank’s own staff, connecting Women in Tech to other prominent brands like Google and Apple, and providing a platform for them to engage with experts so they could learn how to grow their business. The programme creates tangible and measurable impact to ensure that female entrepreneurs have the right opportunities to grow and nurture their business.
We are optimistic about the impact this programme will have on the socio-economic empowerment of female led entrepreneurs in Nigeria. The support the beneficiaries will get will go a long way in ensuring the sustainability of the businesses while creating employment for more women and youths in the country.
“This initiative builds on the Bank’s track record of increasing women’s access to entrepreneurial finance, employability and supporting adolescent girls and women through financing and capacity building.”
From our standpoint, the development and sustenance of a good economy in any nation is dependent on the level of quality education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities especially available to young people.
Conscious steps must be taken towards equipping the youth regardless of class and economic status, with access to opportunities needed to realize their full potential to foster greater economic inclusion.
(Dayo Aderugbo is the Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand & Marketing Standard Chartered Bank for Nigeria and West Africa)
Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has cautioned the public against fake recruitment offers and fraudulent employment letters circulating in the agency’s name.
Eniola Akinkuotu, head of Media and Corporate Communications of the Commission, stated that NUPRC has received reports of counterfeit and AI-generated appointment letters bearing names not known to the regulator.
The Commission also said fraudsters have been extorting money from jobseekers by promising placement within the agency.
NUPRC has reported the incidents to law enforcement and said investigations are underway.
The regulator reiterated that there is no ongoing recruitment exercise and warned members of the public not to make any payments for supposed job offers.
“Whenever the Commission decides to recruit, the process will be conducted strictly in accordance with extant laws and government regulations,” the statement said.
The Commission urged jobseekers to verify any purported offer and to rely only on official NUPRC communications for recruitment information.
The warning follows growing concerns about the misuse of digital tools, including artificial intelligence, to fabricate apparently authentic documents that can deceive the public.
General News
Africa50 Secures Fresh Capital, Strategic Partnerships to Accelerate African Infrastructure
Africa50, the pan-African infrastructure investment platform, has secured new investment commitments and strategic partnerships with international investors and Tanzanian institutions aimed at mobilising capital for infrastructure development across Africa.
The agreements, announced at the 2026 Infra for Africa Forum in Dar es Salaam, include a US$20 million commitment from British International Investment (BII) to Africa50’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF), as well as partnerships covering natural gas, electricity transmission and healthcare infrastructure in Tanzania.
The latest commitments bring the IAF’s total capital commitments to approximately US$330 million.
Under one of the major agreements, Africa50, Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and TAQA Arabia will develop the first phase of a small-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) project designed to distribute domestic natural gas to industrial and transportation customers across Tanzania.
Africa50 is partnering with TAQA Arabia and TPDC on the project, providing project development, investment and financial structuring expertise to develop a bankable model that could be replicated in Tanzania and other markets.
Mussa M. Makame, Managing Director of TPDC, said the partnership demonstrated Tanzania’s commitment to leveraging its natural gas resources to support national development.
“As a gas supplier to this project, TPDC will work with the project partners to broaden domestic access to cleaner, reliable energy and create greater value for the Tanzanian economy,” he said.
Pakinam Kafafi, CEO of TAQA Arabia subsidiary Rosetta Energy Solutions, said the LNG project would convert Tanzania’s gas resources into reliable energy for industry, communities and transportation.
“This project will turn Tanzania’s abundant gas resources into reliable energy for industry, communities and transport, strengthening energy security and accelerating industrialization,” she said.
Africa50 also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tanzania Electricity Supply Company (TANESCO) to collaborate on electricity transmission Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).
The partnership is expected to facilitate Tanzania’s first Independent Power Transmission (IPT) project, drawing on Africa50’s experience with its IPT project in Kenya.
Engineer Timoth Mgaya, Acting Managing Director of TANESCO, said the partnership would help Tanzania attract private capital and strengthen its transmission infrastructure.
“Partnering with Africa50 provides Tanzania with strategic project-development and financing expertise as we unlock private capital for Africa’s transmission infrastructure,” he said.
The agreement, he added, would contribute to the development of East Africa’s power market while supporting industrialisation, economic integration and inclusive growth.
In the healthcare sector, Africa50 and Tanzania’s Ministry of Health signed an MoU to expand access to renal care and dialysis services for patients suffering from kidney diseases.
The partnership is expected to provide healthcare infrastructure, reliable medical equipment, experienced operators and long-term investment to strengthen the country’s capacity to deliver life-saving renal services.
Meanwhile, BII’s US$20 million investment in the IAF makes the UK development finance institution the latest Limited Partner in the fund.
BII and Africa50 also signed an MoU to deepen cooperation and identify opportunities for co-investment and further mobilisation of capital into African infrastructure.
The IAF invests in equity and quasi-equity opportunities across power, transport and logistics, water and sanitation, digital infrastructure and social infrastructure.
The fund leverages Africa50’s relationships with African governments, corporates and project developers to deploy capital into infrastructure projects with strong commercial and development potential.
Leslie Maasdorp, Chief Executive Officer of BII, said the partnership would help mobilise additional capital into sustainable infrastructure across Africa.
“Africa’s infrastructure needs are significant, but so are the opportunities,” Maasdorp said. “By combining our expertise, networks and capital, we can help unlock investment that drives growth, creates jobs and improves lives.”
Alain Ebobissé, Group CEO of Africa50, said the new partnerships reflected the organisation’s evolution from a project development institution into a major infrastructure investment platform.
“Africa50 was created to develop bankable projects, mobilize finance for investments in Africa’s infrastructure and accelerate delivery,” he said.
According to Ebobissé, the organisation is now positioned to scale up infrastructure investment by translating the vision of African leaders into commercially viable projects capable of attracting capital from both African and international investors.
The agreements were announced as Africa50 marked its 10th anniversary under the theme, “A Decade of Economic Impact: From Vision to Delivery.”
MTN Nigeria, leading technology company, recently hosted undergraduates from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) for an immersive career engagement session, at the MTN Rooftop Plaza, Ikoyi, Lagos.
MTN
The event exposed students to career opportunities across cybersecurity, finance, internal audit and forensic investigations while providing practical insights into the skills required to succeed in today’s workplace.
The session was designed to bridge the gap between academia and industry by helping students better understand the diverse career paths available within the telecommunications and technology sector.
The engagement brought together students studying Economics, Banking and Finance, Cybersecurity and Accounting, providing an opportunity to interact directly with professionals from various business functions.
Through presentations and discussions, participants gained a deeper understanding of the competencies, experiences and continuous learning required to build successful careers in a rapidly evolving business environment.
The engagement comes at a time when technology-related roles, including cybersecurity specialists, are among the world’s fastest-growing occupations, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025.
During the visit, the students met with senior cybersecurity and forensic professionals who shared insights into their respective fields and discussed emerging trends shaping the future of work.
The sessions also highlighted the wide range of career opportunities available across different fields, demonstrating that success in the industry is not limited to any particular course of study.
Undergraduates were also introduced to the evolving nature of the audit profession, as data analytics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are becoming increasingly important areas of focus for internal auditors.
During a session on building a meaningful career in Internal Auditing, undergraduates were encouraged to approach their professional journeys with purpose, continuous learning and a commitment to personal growth.
The session emphasised that career success extends beyond securing employment and involves developing relevant skills, understanding one’s strengths and intentionally pursuing opportunities that align with personal values and long-term goals.
Speaking during the engagement, Chief Internal Audit and Forensic Services Officer, Ibe Kalu Etea, represented by the General Manager, Internal Audit and Forensics, Wasiu Ibrahim, encouraged the undergraduates to remain open to opportunities beyond their academic backgrounds and focus on developing transferable skills. “Students can take any career path they want to. You can upskill and transition into a different career, even if it is not what you studied in school.
“Do not let your course of study determine your career path. Focus on building relevant skills, staying curious and continuously learning because opportunities exist across many fields,” he said.
The Undergraduates also participated in an interactive question-and-answer session, where they sought guidance on career development, workplace expectations and professional growth.
The initiative reflects MTN Nigeria’s commitment to nurturing future talent by connecting young people with industry leaders and equipping them with the knowledge, exposure and confidence needed to navigate their career journeys.
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