NACCIMA to launch youth forum to promote entrepreneurship

Worried about the rising spate of unemployment in Nigeria today, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) is set to inaugurate its Youth Forum to promote the growth of entrepreneurship in the country.

Iyalode Alaba Lawson, national president, who made this known at the inaugural meeting of the Youth Forum in Lagos recently, said the critical role of youths in supporting entrepreneurship and development must not be ignored.

A statement released by Emmanuel Cobham, director-general of NACCIMA, said to further this objective, the association considered the introduction of the youth forum to continue to advocate for necessary reforms that will revolutionise the socio-economic environment and encourage job creation efforts of the Chamber Movement.

The statement quoted the NACCIMA national president emphasising that the initiative was in line with the mission of  NACCIMA to ensure an enabling business environment through policy advocacy and promotion of growth and competitiveness of business through proper and prompt information dissemination, using modern technology comparable to the best international  standards of chambers of commerce and industry anywhere in the world.

The Youth Forum, she said, would focus on training and developing young entrepreneurs to meet the demands in identified gaps in the existing value chains, while equipping and supporting them to overcome the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, including access to finance, lack of business knowledge, and market access lows, among others.

Iyalode Lawson charged the youths drawn from city and state chambers across the country to be committed to the ideals of the association and be answerable to the executive committee of NACCIMA. They are expected to be active in their various city and state chambers of commerce across the country.

The NACCIMA national president reminded the youths that NACCIMA was the foremost apex business membership association in Nigeria, umbrella body for all regional, state, city, bilateral, multilateral chambers of commerce, professional/business associations and corporate organisations in Nigeria.

ODINAKA ANUDU