Town and Gown Seminar Series
Covenant University Department of Economics and Development Studies in collaboration with the Centre for Economic Policy and Development Research (CEPDeR) presents the second Town and Gown Seminar series themed “The Professional World of Diverse Opportunities: How Ready Am I?“.
The theme for this seminar is focused on the issue of unemployment which is one of the most throbbing challenges confronting Nigeria today, as the severity has become so disturbing to policymakers, parents, and youths (graduates).
Unemployment can be defined as the share of the labour force without work but available and seeking employment. It could also be seen as an economic condition in which individuals seeking jobs remain unhired. The rate of unemployment in Nigeria has assumed an alarming dimension. It steadily rose from 21% in 2010 to 23.9% in 2011, and is currently at 33.3% in 2022, although the economy has been growing at an average of 2.67% per annum (National Bureau of Statistics, 2021).
A more bothersome issue is the problem of graduate employability, which has rendered many Nigerian graduates unemployable. Employers of labour often complain that some of these graduates, though technically qualified, are unemployable. They lack the skills or competencies needed in the job or sustainable employment. These skills create a gap in their knowledge which must be filled to make them suitable to compete for a few, existing vacancies that crop up from time to time.
Therefore, this seminar aims to help refine the mindset, provide the needed motivation and guidance to these undergraduates on the requisite skills and learnings needed to become employable and thrive in the professional world, the department has organized a lecture with the goal of ensuring students are a better fit for the professional world.
The seminar will be delivered by Ms Rejoice Hassan who is an economist, development enthusiast, health systems strengthening expert, and experienced management consultant with over two years of experience in strengthening health systems across health financing, human capital development, and health policy and planning.