A’ Ibom commissioner tasks FG, youths to embrace ‘design thinking to tackle unemployment
By Isaac Job, Uyo
Akwa Ibom state Commissioner for Information comrade Ini Ememobong has urged the federal government and youths to inculcate design thinking as a means to solve the problem of unemployment in the country.
The Commissioner also charged youths to think outside the box in an attempt to tackle unemployment and reduce the alarming statistics recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on the unemployment status of the state.
Addressing participants in Uyo on Tuesday during a Two-Day Training Workshop on Design Thinking organized by Butterfly Works, United Kingdom, Ememobong urged youths and the government to challenge widely held beliefs on young school leavers depending on government for employment.
The Commissioner noted that Nigeria is suffering from its present predicament because design thinking was not observed during policy formulations.
” We are suffering from the present predicament primarily with the two policies of the federal government currently because Design Thinking was not employed during the policy-making process.
” Design Thinking attempts to elevate man to the status of God because, from it, you see the end from the beginning.
” When you understand Design Thinking, you will be shocked that in every environment, people wonder what you will say. ”
He therefore advised participants at the workshop to open their minds and receive the training to contribute to solving problems facing the nation, especially in unemployment.
The Facilitator of Butterfly Works in Akwa Ibom Engr Anyanime Umoren said he was moved by the unemployment palaver facing Nigerian youths and assembled them in the training to think outside the box.
Umoren said he attended a design thinking training workshop organized by Butterfly Works in Amsterdam, Netherlands and decided to domesticate the training for Akwa Ibom youths.
“I attended the design training last year 2022 with Butterfly Works and since then my life has never remained the same.
” Design thinking has sharpened my problem-solving skills and made me see problems and challenges as an opportunity to grow and add value to society.
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” Instead of our Youths waiting for Jobs from government, I invited Butterfly Works to organise this design thinking training to create an opportunity to empower the minds of youths to challenge the status and create jobs for themselves and others in their sphere of influence.
“Having worked in Shell Petroleum Development Company for about two decades, I have come to discover that the difference between the rich and the poor is knowledge.
” I am happy that Butterfly Works yielded to my request to host this training physically in Uyo to bridge the knowledge gap and challenge the minds of our Youths.
” We trust that God through this training will raise many Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg in Uyo and many seasoned entrepreneurs in Akwa Ibom state.
“Akwa Ibom is the pilot, we want to move to all the states in the Niger Delta, the entire south and the country in the next five years. Our dream is to raise youths that will add to the size of the national cake instead of waiting to eat from the current cake that is getting smaller by the day.”
The Lead speaker at the training and Community Engagement Specialist of Butterfly Works in Nigeria Mr Joshua Agosu engaged over 40 youths in Uyo America Window of the University of Uyo Library and explained the five processes of design thinking adding that it would change the mentality of youths in Nigeria towards employment.
Agosu listed the process of design thinking to include setting the scene, Design Research, Ideation, Create and Test loop as well as Implementation alongside various mindsets at every phase and the various working Tools for every phase.
Participants in the training received online certificates from Butterfly Works and promised to implement the training in all their endeavours to create jobs instead of hunting for jobs.
