Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says that the promise of establishing entrepreneurship banks in Africa is one that must be kept.
Osinbajo expressed this view in his address at the fifth edition of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Forum (TEFforum2019) on Saturday in Abuja.
The two-day event has the theme “Empowering Young Africans”.
African leaders present were Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Macky Sall of Senegal, Felix Tshisekedi of Congo DRC and Ugandan Prime Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda .
Osinbajo said that African schools should not only teach science and technology but focus also on critical thinking and entrepreneurship.
“Our continent continues to be defined by unsavoury and unwholesome stories, which do not often accurately represent the reality of life and opportunity.
“The people in this room are the perfect and long-awaited counterpoints to those one-dimensional narratives of Africa that have sadly gained ground over the years.
“Outside on the streets of every village, town and city are many more individual embodiments of the potential of Africa.
“But we can change that story; we must fund young entrepreneurs and provide opportunities for capacity building.
“Our school curriculum must emphasise not just stem but critical thinking and entrepreneurship, and the promise of entrepreneurship banks must be kept.”
The Vice President said that the event attracted a great representation of what the private sector could accomplish.
He said that African governments were challenged to create the enabling environment for all young entrepreneurs to thrive.
Osinbajo said that by birthing the intervention, Elumelu had compelled stakeholders to focus on what really mattered, the youth and their dreams.
According to him, the message to Africa’s emerging business giants is a clear one, how and what can you contribute, like Elumelu, to empowering the next generation?
“Helping them rewrite and revise the next chapter of the continent’s changing stories?”
