It was a boisterous gathering of young people at the J.F. Ade-Ajayi Auditorium, University of Lagos (UNILAG), on Saturday, February 3, 2023 where the 3rd Edition of the Gen-Z Initiative in Nigeria (GINN 3.0) was hosted.
Convened by Agomeze Saint Chukwuemeka, an alumnus of UNILAG, the non-partisan socio-economic event had a multitude of enthusiastic Gen-Zs in attendance, underscoring the growing interest of the younger generation in Nigeria’s socio-economic transformation.
The theme of GINN 3.0 was Daring to Invent the Future of the Nigeria Entertainment Industry. It featured insights from esteemed personalities within the Nigerian entertainment industry such as: Charles Inojie, Hilda Dokubo, Ali Baba, Kenny Blaq, Bunmi Davies, and Josh2Funny who shared their perspectives on the industry’s role in shaping a renewed Nigeria.
The vibrant event also had a panel discussion which delved into practical strategies for navigating the entertainment industry, honing creative skills, and projecting a positive global image for the Nigerian entertainment sector.
The event boasted the esteemed presence of the Honorable Minister of Youth Development, Dr. Jamila Ibrahim Bio, as the Special Guest of Honour. In her address, the Honourable Minister of Youth Development urged the youths not to lose faith in Nigeria, emphasizing the need for active involvement in reshaping the nation’s future.
Other notable personalities present at the event included the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Management Services), Prof Lucian Chukwu who was the representative of UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS; and past Gubernatorial Candidate of Labour Party in Lagos State, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who was Chairman of the Day.
In his address at the event, Professor Chukwu stressed the need to harness the great potentials and talents of Gen-Zs to push the socio-economic development of Nigeria. He highlighted the steps being taken by the University to leverage the potentials for innovation, and boundless creativity of young people.
According to him, the University has several programmes, hubs and centres aimed at horning the skills and talents of young people. These include the Entrepreneurship, Innovation And Business Incubation Certification (EIBIC) Programme, Library Makerspace, Innovation and Technology Management Office (UNILAG-ITMO), MAD House as well as Innovation Tech Hubs such as BOI-UNILAG Incubation & Co-Working Hub, NITDA IT Hub, UNILAG Design Studio among others.
His words, “UNILAG-ITMO facilitates and implements the process identifying, protecting, marketing/disseminating and licensing inventions, technologies, and creations of members of the UNILAG community in order to benefit the public in keeping with the vision of the University in the pursuit of excellence in knowledge, character and service to humanity”.
The Gen-Z Initiative in Nigeria (GINN) is a social impact programme which strives to inspire active participation among the youths, particularly the Gen-Z, in the moulding of a better future for Nigeria by mobilising for positive action in pivotal sectors such as Education, Health, Business and Entrepreneurship, Politics, Entertainment, Technology, and Innovation. GINN serves as a catalyst for youths to make positive contributions to the nation’s development.
