Elumelu: Why African youths leave for other countries

Tony Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings and Tony Elumelu Foundation, says African youths migrate because of a lack of economic hope.

Speaking on Thursday in Paris at Tech for Summit organised by Emmanuel Macron, president of France, Elumelu advised world leaders to pay attention to African youths so that they are not left behind in the technology era.

“Africa needs this type of gathering – we are a continent with over 60% of its people under the age of 30 – they need economic opportunities, they need hope,” he said.

“I represented the African continent to draw attention to our young ones who seek economic hope and opportunity via technology.

“Technology is a great employer of labour, technology drives inclusiveness, technology helps to alleviate poverty, but we must not forget that in Africa we are just starting out and we cannot afford to lag behind.

“We need the world to pay attention to Africa so that young Africans are not disenfranchised and left behind in this new technology era. We need the world to pay attention to the plight of young Africans so that issues of migration can be addressed in a more fundamental way – by tackling the root cause which is a lack of economic hope.”

Canvassing for gender equality, he said United Bank for Africa currently has 30% female representation on its boards while the Tony Elumelu Foundation has 50% female representation on the board and 100% representation in senior management.