TITLE PAGE
UNEMPLOYMENT
Unemployment is one of our worlds major problems and is also
the source of many problems in countries around the world as a jobless
person is a potential or actual robber, rapist, kidnapper and even a
suicide bomber. In Nigeria unemployment has led to some aberration in
our society as we have begun to experience a rise in crime rate,
corruption, terrorism, etc. From the MEND militants to the boko haram
sect, the list of past and present happenings are numerous but the
future possibilities are endless.
With over ten million beggars on the streets of Nigeria, only
about 24% of employable Nigerians unemployed (Business Day
Newspapers, 2011); and the findings of the national bureau of statistics
In January 2012 that 112 million Nigerians (61%) live on less than a
dollar per day (BBC, 2012), the fund for peace (FFP) has recently ranked
Nigeria as the 14th most failed nation on earth. (FFP, Failed State Index,
2012).
CAUSES OF UNEMPLOYMENT
Unemployment results from several factors such as bad
leadership, corruption, urban migration, etc. These factors have greatly
contributed to the growth of unemployment in Nigeria and some other
third world countries.
It also largely results from the rate of youths trying to acquire
knowledge in tertiary institutions thereby leading to huge competition
in the labor market; Referring to the careless, but well meaning
statement of the previous Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, that
over 75% of the Nigerian graduates are unemployable, it is worth asking
if it is the fault of the Nigerian youth. They generally show a high
willingness to get educated, but are being shortchanged with an
education which does not prepare them for the harsh realities of the
labor market. A labor market which is capable of absorbing less than
10% of them and leaving the rest to do anything positive or negative
with their situations .
SOLUTION
A direct approach to ameliorating the problem of unemployment is job
creation but this solution is a lot more achievable when there are numerous
entrepreneurs thereby supporting the notion that youths should aspire to become
entrepreneurs rather than job seekers . There are several high yielding sectors in the
Nigerian economy such as IT, education, banking, oil & gas etc. But one of the most
favorable, least damaging to our environment but highly neglected sector in Nigeria is
the agricultural because we have failed to maximize its income generating capacity,
Agricultural produce such as cocoa, coffee, rubber etc. are in high demand in many
world class companies and organizations who cannot grow these crops locally due to
climatic factors. If an individual or a group of people were to farm these cash crops on
a commercial scale it would boost the Nigerian economy, create jobs and would be
very profitable.
For the Nation to be among the 20 most economically advanced nations in
the world by the year 2020, serious attention must be paid to the development of
agriculture. Agriculture and their Entrepreneurs need all the support they can muster
from all stakeholders in order to create the opportunities for jobs for our teeming
jobless population.
AGRICULTURE HAS TO BE AFRICA’S NEXT PRIORITY
AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA
NIGERIA’S RICHEST SECTOR
There are many profitable sectors in Nigeria
and one of its most neglected sector is
agriculture. Nigeria is very rich agriculturally as
our climate and environment supports the
growth of several cash crops with very low cost
with substantial labor, this venture is highly
profitable as many crops like cocoa and coffee
are major demands of big companies like
nestle, Cadbury etc.
Several companies like Nigerian Institute For
Oil Research (NIFOR), Okomu, PRESCO are
agriculture based companies that employ
hundreds of workers as a result of its success in
both oil, rubber and certain other agricultural
produce.
The adoption of commercial agriculture would
not only be profiting but also it will boost the
economy, create jobs for many and is relatively
easy to start.
COCOA FARMING
Cocoa is essential to
the livelihoods of 40-50
million people worldwide,
including over 5 million
smallholder cocoa farmers
who grow this valuable
crop. It has been an
important ingredient in
global cultures and history,
evolving over the years,
and continues to be enjoyed
today in thousands of
different forms.
Africa’s total % of cocoa production
has been rated at around 73% with 4 major
producing countries; Cameroon, Côte
d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria.
Cocoa today is in high demand by
companies like nestle, cadbury, etc. Cocoa
processing includes converting the beans into
nibs, cocoa “liquor”, butter, cake and powder.
Cocoa butter is used in combination with
other ingredients to make chocolate. It can
also be used in soaps and cosmetics. Cocoa
powder is used for making chocolate flavored
products such as cakes, cookies, and drinking
chocolate.
The cocoa, chocolate, and
confectionery industry employs hundreds of
thousands of people around the world and is
a key consumer of other agricultural
commodities such as sugar, dairy products,
nuts, and fruits.
COFFEE FARMING
Top quality coffees from
Africa have a
big potential. Proper
commitment to
this continent includes
support for research
and development which
provides
highest product quality.
As one of the most important commodities in terms of value
traded globally, coffee plays a crucial role in the livelihoods of millions of
rural households across the developing world. Coffee contributes
significantly to foreign exchange earnings and plays a leading role in
determining opportunities for employment and infrastructure
development in more than 50 developing countries.
Coffee in many developing countries is a sector of critical
importance to sustainable development at local regional and global
levels. Coffee is a beverage consumed all over the world by people from
all walks of life thereby having a large consumer base. African countries
have the greatest potential to cultivate the best brands of coffee as
Africa plays host to some of coffee’s most enjoyed brands as stated by
Hans Faessler of NKG Tropical Farm Management GmbH in
Switzerland, ”Africa is the country of origin of the Arabica and Robusta
brands. Even if coffee cultivation itself started relatively late in Africa,
the conditions for high quality coffee are excellent. If you look at the
cultivation areas in Tanzania, Kenya or Ethiopia, for instance, you will
find some of the best coffees in the world there. Nevertheless,
production volumes are very low, for instance, in comparison with Brazil.
There is further potential in the sector of small farmers, in the Estates,
also called farms. The main thing lacking there is knowledge so that we
have a low level of farm maintenance. Another thing we often witness
are motivation problems on the part of the farmers as crop yields are
usually very low. Nevertheless, production volumes are very low, for
instance, in comparison with Brazil. There is further potential in the
sector of small farmers, in the Estates, also called farms. The main thing
lacking there is knowledge so that we have a low level of farm
maintenance. Another thing we often witness are motivation problems
on the part of the farmers as crop yields are usually very low.”
RUBBER
West Africa, like East Asia, has a highly suitable climate for
rubber cultivation and a large pool of agricultural workers – which Asia
no longer has in abundance. Global output of natural rubber is expected
to top 6% in the current year, but it is not expected to keep up with
demand. A slowdown in Asian production growth has refocused
attention on West Africa as a source of supply. Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire
are both potentially important producers, but today account for around
only 2%-4% of global output (Hardman & Co., 2012).
Rubber like many other cash crops is a globally utilized raw
material used in the manufacturing of many rubber based products
like plastic chairs, gloves, rubber bands, condoms etc. Rubber is a high
yielding branch of agriculture as there is always demand for rubber by
rubber based industries. But being a seasonal crop it takes around 7
years for an investor to start making profit from his/her produce but
this venture is highly lucrative.
PLANNED RESULTS AND OUTCOMES
This methods aims at showing youths that a job is not the only
way to make a living, there are numerous ways of self empowerment
and these are just few of them, but most importantly this method
attempts to show that success are not only found in luxurious places like
the IT sector or oil & gas industries but rather we can create success
from the most neglected and undermined sectors.
My team will spend a maximum of 24 hours implementing this
solution by hosting webinars on the internet aimed at the Nigerian
youths and also we will set up web site dedicated to entertaining
inquiries into these ventures and enlightening Nigerian youths on the
different cash crops in agriculture with presentation of results from
extensive and intensive research and my team will also show the
profitable industries connected to these crops and the various industries
involved in their processing.
My team aims to reach a vast majority of the Nigerian labor
market both employed and unemployed through social networks, ad
campaigns, blogs and video blogs on our website.
We aim to engage a group of four people; a web designer,
researcher, blogger and a public relations person for publicizing our
cause.