ON Monday, September 3, 2012, the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and other top officials in tow, launched the second edition of the Youth Enterprises With Innovation (YOUWIN2) at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.
Unlike the first edition rolled out last year, the second phase will be reserved for young female budding entrepreneurs.
Two main reasons were adduced for reserving this year’s phase for women between the ages of 18 and 45. The first was that last year when a total of 1,200 successful beneficiaries were advanced sums ranging from one million to ten million naira to start their businesses, only about ten per cent were women. The second reason was that women had a considerably higher propensity than men to manage funds well and respect the terms of credit by repaying when due. These facts have long been established through the various traditional and contemporary thrift systems.
It is reasoned that with more women involved and enjoying a virtual parity ratio with their male counterparts, the chances of this very interesting innovation towards the creation of jobs through the private sector being successful will be much higher.
As time goes on, it will engender a new thinking to the effect that school leavers should no longer look up to government or the stagnant private sector alone for non-existent jobs. As they explore their innate potentials for self-reliance the army of job seekers will plummet.
As a newspaper, we welcome any venture aimed at bringing up the capacity of women to assert their hidden abilities. Quite obviously, the lopsided access to opportunity to the disadvantage of women is largely to blame for the social disequilibrium we suffer today.
Any policy aimed at reducing any form of marginalisation of Nigerians based on gender, ethnicity, religion or geopolitical section will have our full support.
But we wish to caution that reserving any programme such as YOUWIN for a gender may be overdoing things. Our young men do have their excesses, which are sociologically traceable to enormous pressures they face either as breadwinners or prospective breadwinners.
Making our brilliant young men who could become the next Dangotes, Adenugas, Innosons and Bill Gates lose a whole year of this programme is not the best thing to do.
Rather, the programme should have followed a pattern of affirmative action aimed at bringing the number of ladies to par with men in the second phase.
But stronger emphasis should really be on people who qualify and have the character and track record to respect the terms of engagement, while keeping an eye open for affirmative action.
Unlike the first edition rolled out last year, the second phase will be reserved for young female budding entrepreneurs.
Two main reasons were adduced for reserving this year’s phase for women between the ages of 18 and 45. The first was that last year when a total of 1,200 successful beneficiaries were advanced sums ranging from one million to ten million naira to start their businesses, only about ten per cent were women. The second reason was that women had a considerably higher propensity than men to manage funds well and respect the terms of credit by repaying when due. These facts have long been established through the various traditional and contemporary thrift systems.
It is reasoned that with more women involved and enjoying a virtual parity ratio with their male counterparts, the chances of this very interesting innovation towards the creation of jobs through the private sector being successful will be much higher.
As time goes on, it will engender a new thinking to the effect that school leavers should no longer look up to government or the stagnant private sector alone for non-existent jobs. As they explore their innate potentials for self-reliance the army of job seekers will plummet.
As a newspaper, we welcome any venture aimed at bringing up the capacity of women to assert their hidden abilities. Quite obviously, the lopsided access to opportunity to the disadvantage of women is largely to blame for the social disequilibrium we suffer today.
Any policy aimed at reducing any form of marginalisation of Nigerians based on gender, ethnicity, religion or geopolitical section will have our full support.
But we wish to caution that reserving any programme such as YOUWIN for a gender may be overdoing things. Our young men do have their excesses, which are sociologically traceable to enormous pressures they face either as breadwinners or prospective breadwinners.
Making our brilliant young men who could become the next Dangotes, Adenugas, Innosons and Bill Gates lose a whole year of this programme is not the best thing to do.
Rather, the programme should have followed a pattern of affirmative action aimed at bringing the number of ladies to par with men in the second phase.
But stronger emphasis should really be on people who qualify and have the character and track record to respect the terms of engagement, while keeping an eye open for affirmative action.
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