Konga, Nigeria’s leading composite e-commerce giant, has been hailed by the Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Hon. Sunday Dare as a digital platform with immense capacity to help re-write Nigeria’s unemployment narrative.

He made this known during the signing of a landmark partnership between Konga and the Ministry aimed at generating creative employment for millions of Nigerian youths.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to seal the partnership was signed on Monday, September 13, 2021 in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The initiative was unveiled under Konga Jobs (KJ), a youth empowerment and job creation scheme of the Konga Group. Specifically, the partnership will see Konga deploy its world-class assets, huge resources and cutting-edge technology backbone, while also placing its growing list of thriving subsidiaries across multiple verticals at the disposal of Nigerian youths who are desirous of an opportunity to earn a meaningful living and create wealth. Konga says the scheme is targeted at the employed, unemployed and under-employed Nigerian youths across board.

Present during the signing ceremony was the Minister, Hon. Sunday Dare; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youths and Sports, Mr. Nebeolisa Anako; Chairman, Konga Group, Leo Stan Ekeh; Co-CEO, Konga Group, Nick Imudia; VP, KongaPay, Isa Aliyushata, as well as other Management staff of Konga and senior officials of the Ministry.

‘‘We at the Ministry of Youths and Sports are of the view that public-private partnerships remain the way forward when it comes to the onerous task of creating opportunities for our youths. This belief has come to the fore with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and has also been reinforced by a recent World Bank report.

‘‘We are delighted to have a technology-driven partner such as Konga partnering with us on this programme. Also, we are confident that through this MoU which we have signed today, we will be re-writing the narrative for millions of Nigerian youths who are the beneficiaries of this project.’’

While lauding the Ministry for its proactive zeal in closing the partnership, Mr. Ekeh noted that since its acquisition nearly three years ago, Konga, which pioneered the martketplace structure in Africa in addition to a long list of innovative strategies, has grown immensely beyond expectations of all e-commerce watchers, with the company becoming arguably Africa’s biggest Composite e-commerce platform and the first to hit profitability on the continent.

“Konga is driven by youths. This shows our youths have the capacity to deliver world-class corporates, even with all structural challenges confronting us in the country.’’

Ekeh added that the time is right for Nigerian youths to use their intellectual capital and digital skills to defend the nation and become global citizens. He encouraged Nigerian youths to alter their destinies, while also stressing that their passion in this century must pay their bills.

Also speaking at the event, Imudia, Co-CEO, Konga Group, affirmed that the partnership will afford Konga a chance to create millionaires across Nigeria within a short space of time.

“Konga today provides employment directly and indirectly through partnerships for over 250,000 Nigerians. Through this partnership, we are looking to not only offer more hardworking and ambitious Nigerian youths a chance to earn good money and create wealth; we are also keen to create millionaires who will become their own bosses and employ others. In addition to opportunities which abound in joining our fast growing database of Konga affiliates and merchants, many more deserving and outstanding youths will also get job opportunities across the multiple entities within the Konga Group.

“We are currently conducting a pilot with the Ministry of Youths and Sports and have taken on board about 350 youths already, many of whom are doing very well. The plan is to have at least one Konga agent in every kindred in Nigeria. But it is pertinent to state that we are also extending our reach across Africa in line with our expansion plans as our target by 2025 is to create jobs for over 500,000 Nigerian youths and over 500,000 for other African youths.

“This is the only way we can rate our success on the African Continent,” he disclosed.

The event, which was held within the Ministry’s conference room at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, also witnessed a tour of the massive facilities within the premises.

•PHOTO: Minister of Youths and Sports, Hon. Sunday Dare and Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh display the newly-signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry and Konga on Monday, September 13, 2021 in Abuja. Also pictured in attendance at the event is the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Nebeolisa Anako (left) and Konga Co-CEO, Nick Imudia (right).

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