Entrepreneurship can solve Nigeria’s unemployment crisis — Rector

Nigeria's unemployment crisis can be addressed by encouraging entrepreneurship amongst graduates, the Rector of the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Yaba, Lagos State, Dr Margaret Ladipo, has said.

Speaking this Tuesday ahead of the the polytechnic's 29th convocation ceremony, Ladipo said entrepreneurship backed by mentorship has the potential to create a ripple effect of employment opportunities.

“Imagine if you empower about 200 graduates from each institution in this country; attach them to mentors and micro finance banks.

"At the end of the day, they become entrepreneurs and employ about two or four graduates.

"Calculate the multiplier effect to reduce unemployment in our society.

When they service their loans, you go through the process all over again.”

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The Rector also harped on the important role of mentorship in building entrepreneurs.

“Entrepreneurship is all about mentoring," she said.

"When youths see people who have been through what they are aspiring to do and succeeding in it, they become excited and encouraged.

"It also helps to inculcate the entrepreneurship attitude in the students."

Student Pulse gathered that the institution will hold a combined convocation ceremony, for grandaunts of the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 academic sessions, from the 28th to the 29th of October.

The convocation lecture is themed: ‘Entrepreneurship and mentorship role in youth empowerment and sustainable development".