Thematic Focus
Enterprise Development
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are pivotal to economic development. In Africa, they generate employment and contribute immensely to Gross Domestic Profit. An increasing number of young people have continued to churn out start-ups that have grown to be successful. However, these key businesses are impeded by several challenges such as access to finance, inconsistent government policies and inadequate infrastructure.
YDC-OOPL implements the Business Enterprise Training (BET) where intensive business management education is methodically implemented to enhance the business dexterity of aspiring and existing MSME owners especially young people. This training would later become a prerequisite for aspiring entrepreneurs to access the Agri-Business Small and Medium Enterprise Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to access the dedicated loan for the scheme. The Centre was certified by the CBN as one of its Entrepreneurship Development Centre to undertake the training.
Other MSMEs-focused programmes have continued to emerge to cater to the dynamic needs of the young business owners in Africa.
Good Governance and Democratic Leadership
The Youth Governance Dialogue is a platform that bridges the gap between young people and experienced political leaders (incumbent or former) to discuss the challenges mitigating against active involvement of youth in democratic leadership and proffering practical solutions. It advocates and encourages youth and political leaders to seek a more active role in governance beyond being mere voters. It challenges them to seek all legal avenue to canvass for political structures that would make it less cumbersome for them to seek political office. It also champions conversations on how to empower young people to demand accountability from elected officials, seek electoral integrity, upload the rule of law, and deepen citizen participation in democracy.
Leadership and Mentorship
Being able to stand on the shoulder of giants often eliminates the need to reinvent the wheel and provide a tailwind for success. The YDC-OOPL has provided mentorship platforms that promote youth leadership and engagement with experts in some fields of endeavour including enterprise management, personal development, political participation and engagement, and skills development.
One of such platforms is the Presidential Youth Mentorship Retreat that seeks to create an adult-youth learning exchange. Anchored by President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, the forum brings seasoned professionals to join the former President in discussing challenges that young people encounter in selected fields and offering practical solutions while linking them up with relevant training and mentoring opportunities.
Youth Migration
The Youth Migration Summit seeks to highlight the experiences of victims of trafficking, the channels of irregular migration, predisposing factors to illicit migration, champion the establishment of sustainable support system for survivors and seek to empower more young people with sustainable livelihoods that would make illicit travel unattractive. The perennial issue of poverty continues to fuel migrant exodus within and outside the continent. Other issues like misinformation, fake news, youthful exuberance, and ignorance are also causal factors. The programme also seeks to sensitise young people about legal migration alternatives and create a medium to convey such information to them across the continent.