In order to contribute its quota in solving youth unemployment in Nigeria, Alerzo founder and group CEO, Adewale Opaleye has said one of the benefits of Africa‘s digital economy is job creation, adding that it offers youths on the continent the opportunity to explore their talents and thrive.
Opaleye assured that its company will continue to impact local businesses and support the government’s job creation efforts by employing young talented youths, said the startup business-to-business firm which commenced operations less than three years ago has “directly employed more than 3,000 youths in its operational chain.”
He also said with the tech firm’s presence in different parts of the country including rural areas, local retailers get to improve their businesses, make more profit and are encouraged to hire more staff to support their production and/or distribution activities.
Opaleye shared how the company is helping youths including retailers in the different states it operates, as they have testified of the emergence of Alerzo bringing them good tidings.
A youth in Kano State, Nura Muhammad who is part of the Alerzo business development team, stated: “We thank God that the arrival of Alerzo in Kano has brought many opportunities. In addition to the joyful expressions of the customers, the young people of Kano are benefitting from the presence of Alerzo as a result of the employment opportunities it has created.
“Several Kano youths are now working because of Alerzo. We are happy that Alerzo has come, everyone here is happy; not only the customers, even the retailers, and wholesalers. The youths of Kano are entirely happy with Alerzo; it is our hope that the company will continue to thrive.”
Meanwhile, Kano state is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the northern region of the country. In 2016, the National Bureau of Statistics reconfirmed Kano as the largest state in Nigeria by population. Nearly half of the population are between the ages of 15 and 54 years.
With its diverse economy, and having established itself as a center for industry, agriculture, and islamic banking, Kano is the second-largest industrial centre after Lagos state and the largest in Northern Nigeria.
Despite its industrial ranking, the state’s unemployment rate was at 31.2 percent as of Q4 2020, according to statistics. Through its N-Power programme, the Federal Government was reported to have employed over 16,000 youths in the state in the first quarter of 2022.
