Career leaders provide practical solutions to unemployment at African Workforce Summit in Lagos

Stakeholders at the 2025 African Workforce Summit tackled career gaps and unemployment in Africa by connecting job seekers with employers, providing skill-building workshops, and fostering entrepreneurial opportunities.

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The 2025 African Workforce Summit, a unique platform that brought together Gen Z, Millennials, and industry leaders, was held on 27-28 June in Lagos. Its distinct focus was to bridge critical gaps in the African workforce ecosystem, making it a significant event in the region.

The event was not just a platform for discussions, but also a provider of practical solutions to unemployment and career development challenges across the continent.

The event facilitated over 250 direct job interviews with participating employers, while more than 500 career consultations provided immediate professional development support, including CV optimisation, LinkedIn profile enhancement, and interview preparation.

It facilitated on-the-spot job interviews, offered employability training, and supported new businesses through a pitch contest, making it a valuable resource for all attendees.

Moses Babatunde, the convener of the African Workforce Summit, has remarkably succeeded in finding and changing jobs for the unemployed, instilling a sense of hope and optimism. It has also facilitated the exchange of experience among professionals in the continent’s workforce, fostering a positive outlook for the future.

Summit’s mission

While outlining the summit’s essence and goals, Mr Babatunde emphasised its inclusive nature.

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Day one, held on 27 June, focused on job seekers, to attract at least 100 new entrants into the workforce.

The summit offered employability workshops teaching critical skills like salary negotiation and personal branding. Babatunde explained, “Rather than just doing job interviews, we have Employability Workshops.

“So we are teaching you things like how to negotiate salaries. We are teaching you how to do things like personal branding. Because it’s not just enough that you know what you do. It’s also how to position yourself to get this employment.

“I promise you, some jobs are not publicised. Some jobs are not set to job apps and things like that. Some of them are within networks. How do you get them? That’s basically what we are teaching you,’’ the summit’s convener stated.

Furthermore, the second day featured discussions with CEOs and career leaders, alongside a pitch contest where the winner received $1,000 to support their business venture.

Mr Babatunde highlighted the summit’s evolution, noting that they transitioned from HR College to the African Workforce Summit.

**Cross-section of some of the team members**

Summit Expansion

Looking ahead, Mr Babatunde disclosed his plans to expand the summit’s impact beyond Nigeria, with a replication event scheduled for September 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda.

This aligns with the summit’s vision to harness Africa’s projected status as the world’s youngest population by 2050. Mr Babatunde stressed the urgency: “It can either make or mar us. We focus on that because we know we have a very young population. A lot of those who are young are not educated. So, how do we now build things like this?”

Responding to questions on his plan to include the youth demographic in the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, the HR expert drew from personal experience.

It noted, “I also remember when I was serving, I knew that settling in Lagos in the first month was hard, right? So I ensured that even before the thing started, I was already ensuring I got a job in a company that can retain me.”

He further explained that the summit will enable corps members to connect with employers early, potentially securing opportunities post-service.

Mr Babatunde called for public-private partnerships, particularly government collaboration, to scale the summit’s impact.

Founders’ Chat

At the Saturday summit, Seye Bandele, co-founder of PaidHR, and Joshua Chibueze, co-founder of PiggyVest, shared real-life experiences focused on leadership, workplace culture, and sustaining entrepreneurship.

Speaking on inclusion and teamwork, Mr Bandele reflected on his years as a founder, stressing the importance of giving everyone a voice.

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Mr Bandele added, “So what we do is to ensure everyone’s voice is heard. For instance, my driver is 60, but when it’s time to speak, he can also give his perspectives, talking about how his experience has been shaped by what we do.”

Sharing a workplace example, he recalled a recent salary adjustment that sparked discontent among younger staff. The PaidHR boss said, “We did salary adjustments recently, and some of the younger people were not happy about the nature of the change. You know the rumour will get to you in an organisation. Then I asked them to meet in my office.”

“I sat them down and described the reason for the adjustment, which was caused by salary changes the younger staff experienced 3 to 4 months ago, that excluded older ones. But they had forgotten about that and were only concerned about recent developments. I made them understand why we designed the organisation that way, to sustain future economic shock,” he explained.

Mr Bandele added, “The conversation with them made them feel included and seen.

PiggyVest’s Chibueze offered perspectives on efficient leadership, stressing autonomy and collective thinking. “Don’t micromanage when leading. Allow people to do their things, figure things out with them. This will help people learn quickly,” he said.

He emphasised team inclusion: “It is essential to carry your team along, make them feel part of the problem and solution. When questions are asked about solutions, all your team already knows, and the knowledge is not centralised. Your outlet will look disorganised if customers discover problems before your staff.”

Regarding staff and colleagues’ relations, Mr Chibueze noted, “Challenge must come with respect. You must present certain things so I can listen to you.’’

He acknowledged that leadership is also shaped by those being led: “You can learn leadership from people you employ. The people you hire can make you a better leader by understanding their point and addressing it from their angle.”