The World Bank has said for Nigeria to attain total economic recovery, it needs to create 40 million jobs for its youths before 2030. The bank’s Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Richid Benmessaoud, said this yesterday in Lagos at the inaugural meeting of Secretaries to State Governments under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Benmessaoud, who was represented by Eme Essien Lore, the Country Manager, International Finance Corporation, said in a keynote address, there was a higher number of unemployed youth in Nigeria than in any other African country. She said government and the private sector had a critical role to play in the creation of jobs.

“Nigeria is adding many more young people to the job market than any other African country, and the reason is because of the huge youth population in the country. Due to that, we discovered that there was a high number of people seeking jobs. This is the reflection of the country’s population growth,” she said.

•Adapted from aDaily Trust report.