Yemisi Izuora
Sterling Bank has stepped up efforts toward boosting small and medium enterprises in the country.
The bank explained that its ‘Get Ready for Work’ initiative for this year is designed to support entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses to enable them affix more value to their enterprises.
Executive Director, Finance & Strategy of the bank, Abubakar Suleiman said in Lagos that apart from getting the youths ready to pursue their career choices and helping them acquire the required skills, the lender will also through the programme, reduce the unemployment rate in the country.
Suleiman, said the initiative now in its third year, was the bank’s structured way of equipping the youths with the right skills to succeed in their jobs and informed that the bank was considering extending the scheme to more states of the Federation.
He said that the bank was committed to helping to reduce the high level of youth unemployment in the country, pointing out that there would be serious consequences for the society if the problem is not addressed.
According to him, “There is no country in the world that would not be affected by a high level of youth unemployment. Once youth employment stands above 25 per cent in any country which country is heading for chaos.”
Speaking also, the Executive Director, Field of Skills and Dreams VTE Academy (FSD) Omowale Ogunrinde, commended Sterling Bank for investing in the future of youths in country through the initiative.