By Sola Ogundipe

Experts at the ongoing series of workshops organised by the United Nations Country Team in Nigeria as part of the Common Country Analysis (CCA) for Nigeria have said that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated the unemployment situation in the country.

In a statement obtained by Vanguard, it was gathered that the workshops seek to validate with key stakeholders of UN, the UN Country Team’s analysis of the country situation across various thematic areas and to identify data and issue gaps.

In a presentation on the Economy, the experts- Ms Precious Akanonu, the National Economist of UNDP; Mr Hamidou Poufon, the Chief of Social Protection, UNICEF; Mr Abubakar Suleiman, Assistant Representative, FAO and Mr Nonso Obikili, the Development Coordination Officer (Economist) in the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office,  observed that informal employment is still predominant, noting that International Labour Organisation  had estimated the share of informal employment in non-agricultural employment at 83.7 per cent.

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The experts said the Nigerian economy is not creating enough jobs and a significant share of the employed were working below their capacity, which puts the underemployment rate at 22.8 per cent in 2020. In 2020, “Young people were most affected with a youth unemployment rate of 53.4 per cent. Gender imbalances were present with unemployment rates higher for females (35.2 per cent) compared to males 31.8 per cent.”

They called for the creation of conditions for sustained and inclusive economic growth to drive progress, create decent jobs for all, and improve living standards which are critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”

In his remarks, the Head of the Resident Coordinator’s Office, Mr Ernest Mutanga, explained that the United Nations in Nigeria would hold eight virtual workshops across specific themes: economy, demographics and human capital development, governance, gender, and social inclusion, youth, climate, and financing and public sector management.

The CCA is the UN system’s independent, impartial, and collective assessment and analysis of a country’s situation for its use in developing the new 2023- 2027 Cooperation Framework.

The Cooperation Framework is an agreement between the UN and the host government which determines and reflects the UN development system’s contributions in the country.

Vanguard News Nigeria