Jonathan highlights importance of job creation

Abuja - President Goodluck Jonathan urged African government to focus on employment creation following projections millions of local youth would enter the labour market by 2020. “An additional 112 million workers will enter Africa’s labour force by 2020 … this is daunting and should be a wake-up call to all of us in Africa to work harder on job creation with a great sense of urgency,” he said at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Abuja. He said his administration had embarked on the Transformation Agenda to create jobs and opportunities. The agenda is the nation’s plan to modernize and diversify the Nigerian economy by focusing on priority sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, housing and construction, and the services sectors. “We are working to unlock the obstacles faced by businesses so they create jobs,” Jonathan added. “We must ensure there is a maximum inclusiveness through creating opportunities for people to create opportunities for themselves.”