Osun youths missing job opportunities over poor investment framework, says economist
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –
A United Kingdom-based economist, Dipo Awojide, has criticised the administration of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, saying it has failed to unlock meaningful job opportunities for young people due to what he described as a weak investment promotion framework and inadequate support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Awojide, who works with the United Kingdom Defence and Security Industry, said in a statement made available to journalists in Osogbo that deliberate policies, stronger institutions and targeted funding for innovation, skills development and entrepreneurship could position the state as a catalyst for sustainable job creation.
The economist, who is also a chartered management consultant, argued that the state government was not paying sufficient attention to investment promotion and employment generation, questioning what he described as the slow pace of development across key sectors.
He disclosed that he had closely followed policies and programmes in several states and had participated in delivering speeches and trainings in Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Abuja, Nasarawa and Enugu.
According to him, many states have established dedicated agencies tasked with attracting meaningful investment and creating decent jobs for residents, a move he said Osun should emulate.
He listed examples including the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, Edo State Skills Development Agency, Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency, Ekiti State Development and Investment Promotion Agency and Kaduna State Investment Promotion Agency, among others.
Awojide urged Governor Adeleke to allocate significant funding to agencies that promote investment, MSMEs and tourism, stressing that such measures would help create jobs for young people in the state.
“Although there is an Osun Investment Promotion Agency working closely with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry their performance has been below par and this could be attributed to the lack of political will and the seriousness required to move the needle,” he added.
