Tinubu: Nigerian Youth Are Country’s Most Important Asset

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday assured the Global Chief Executive Officer of Mastercard, Michael Miebach, that Nigeria’s youth population remained the country’s greatest asset.

Tinubu described them as tech-savvy, ready to learn and fully capable of integrating into the global economy.

This was as he welcomed the company’s proposal to train five million Nigerian small businesses and equip them with digital skills.

Tinubu made the assertion when he received a delegation from Mastercard led by Miebach at the State House, Abuja.

A statement signed Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, quoted the President as saying the Nigerian economy had been repositioned and stabilised to fully participate in global commerce.

He said his reforms are deliberately focused on empowering young people and small businesses with digital tools.

Tinubu noted that the ongoing formalisation of Nigeria’s largely informal small-business sector was creating new pathways for digital transitions, investment, employment and growth, and urged Mastercard to deepen its partnership with Nigerian institutions, particularly the Bank of Industry.

“The most important asset is our youth. I missed one thing in your remark: whether you met with the Bank of Industry.

“BOI has a database of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Payment plans and platforms are very necessary for the inclusion of small and medium-scale businesses,” the president said.

He described Mastercard as a known and trusted presence in Nigeria’s financial ecosystem.

“I am glad that you are very familiar with the terrain. I can classify you as a Nigerian.

“MasterCard has a very big reputation in financial management, and opportunities are spreading in Nigeria,” he said.

He assured the company of…