The Muhammadu Buhari regime has told the French Development Agency (AFD) that it needs the support of development partners to tackle worsening unemployment in Nigeria.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr Yerima Tarfa, disclosed this on Friday when he met the AFD delegation led by Country Director Xavier Muron on Friday in Abuja.

“Recent publications by the National Bureau of Statistics (2021) indicated that unemployment rate, especially among the youth who form the larger segment of the productive age group, is on the rise,” said Mr Tarfa who was represented by a director in the labour ministry, Dr Martina Nwordu at the meeting.

”This is with a figure of 33.3 per cent in Quarter four 2021, from the previous record of 27.1 per cent in 2020. While the Labour Productivity Growth dropped by 1.14 per cent Year-on-Year in September, 2018 compared with a growth of 3.25 per cent in the previous quarter of the year.”

Mr Tarfa said the two indicators relate to macro-economic stability of the country “with implications on the overall socio-economic well-being of the nation.” He therefore stressed that Nigeria needed critical infrastructure, technical and financial support, to facilitate the achievement of its short to medium term plans, required for national growth.

He said that collaborations with development partners would boost the government’s efforts in improving employment nationwide, especially among the youths, for enhanced and sustainable national socio-economic development.

Xavier Muron, Country Director, French Development Agency (AFD), sought to discuss the macro-economic situation of the country, and the government’s efforts and challenges in creating decent jobs for the people.

Mr Muron also sought to understand how the government planned to achieve its objective of creating jobs, increasing productivity and reducing poverty.

(NAN)