Worried by what it describes as a declining interest in nation-building coupled with irregular migration among young Africans which has led to massive brain drain in the continent, and especially in Nigeria, the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) has called on the Financial Times, a leading global media and news giant, to support the group’s effort at encouraging human capital development and competent leadership in Africa which is a critical condition and impetus for sustainable development and which will stem the tide of illegal migration across the continent.
The group made the call at the headquarters of the Financial Times in London where the executive team of NYPF lead by its Chairman, Moses Siloko Siasia, was hosted to a breakfast meeting. The visit was part of the events leading to the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum’s summit in the United Kingdom at the Olympia Hilton Hotel Knightsbridge London on the 14th of September 2019 under the theme “Competent Leadership: Key to Unleashing Nigeria’s Potentials”.
As part of deliberations towards solving some of the most critical problems in Africa involving young people such as illegal migration, cyber-crime and terrorism, Siasia noted that irregular migration has become a phenomenal problem in Africa and has caused young Africans a lot and even their lives in a bid to escape bad governance at their respective countries. Siasia decried the growing interest in illegal migration which is taking away young talents needed to develop the continent.
Speaking further, Siasia had noted that in the effort to develop Africa “if we neglect or ignore Nigeria, it is as well that you are ignoring or neglecting the rest of Africa, the reason being that Nigeria as a first mover stands in the middle of Africa’s development”.
The group noted that young Africans are leaving the continent for greener pastures in Europe, Canada, Asia, and America due to incompetent leadership in the continent of which African leaders thinks only about the next elections and not the next generation.
The NYPF also discussed the growing spate of Cyber Crime in Africa noting that this has had a negative impact on global businesses. It worried that the bulk of cyber-crimes involves some young Africans who, according to the group, may have had to channel their talents into criminal activities because they are not being adequately engaged positively by governments whose responsibility it is to create opportunities for gainful employment.
The group worried that governments in Africa have failed in galvanizing the young talents available to the continent for sustainable growth and development.
To solve the problem of cyber-crime, the NYPF insisted that the various governments must put in place very viable legislative instruments and laws that would help to checkmate activities of criminals who engage in cyber fraud. It noted that since there are no good laws, it will remain difficult to stop the activities of cyber-criminals.
On terrorism, the NYPF says Nigeria and rest of Africa may remain a good recruitment ground for global and continental terrorism due largely to the fact that young people in Africa are economically disadvantaged and would be easily attracted by any form of rewards that helps to alleviate their poverty.
The NYPF called on International organisations and multinational companies operating in Nigeria and the rest of Africa to ensure that they tailor all their operations and projects towards promoting human rights and human dignity and to seek ways to create suitable and sustainable jobs for young Africans who are in terrible need of jobs that will not only reward them now but build their skills for future employ-ability.
On its part, the Financial Times represented by Mark Carwardine, Director Africa and Middle East, and Larry Kenney, Sales Manager Africa and Middle East, expressed its desire to continuously promote inclusive governance across African through its medium, saying that the media organization would always support initiatives that are geared towards the development and economic prosperity of Africa, especially as it concerns youths of Africa.
