Akin Akinbisola, an entrepreneur and youth development advocate, is the founder of Youth Employ & Development Initiative, a purpose-driven organisation committed to empowering young people in Nigeria. With a multidisciplinary career spanning entrepreneurship, branding, communications, and leadership development, Akinbisola has established himself as a thought leader in youth development. His organisation, Youth Employ, aims to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, opportunities, and resources required to build sustainable livelihoods and become future-ready leaders.
Akinbisola's passion for youth development stems from his conviction that young people are not lacking in potential, but often lack the opportunities, structures, and support systems to turn that potential into meaningful outcomes. He realised that conversations about empowerment were not enough and that young people needed practical opportunities to develop skills, explore entrepreneurship, access networks, and build sustainable livelihoods. This conviction led to the establishment of Youth Employ & Development Initiative in 2016, which has since been working to address the gap between young people's potential and their ability to translate that potential into productive and sustainable livelihoods.
According to Akinbisola, Youth Employ exists to address the gap between young people's potential and their ability to translate that potential into productive and sustainable livelihoods. The organisation is concerned about a reality where many young people have ambitions, ideas, and talents but struggle to access the skills, opportunities, and resources required to make progress. Akinbisola emphasises that the organisation's work goes beyond helping young people find jobs, but rather preparing them to create value, build enterprises, become effective leaders, and participate meaningfully in the economy.
Through his work with governments, development partners, universities, and the private sector, Akinbisola has learnt that young people do not need to be treated merely as beneficiaries, but as active participants in designing and driving solutions. He also emphasises the importance of connecting opportunities to actual needs, citing that a training programme is valuable, but its impact becomes more meaningful when participants can apply what they have learnt, access relevant networks, connect with employers, secure financing, or build sustainable enterprises.
Akinbisola highlights that young people need more than access to training; they need pathways that connect learning to opportunity. They also need mentors, supportive institutions, technology, finance, and environments where they can experiment, learn, and grow. He stresses that no single organisation can solve the challenges facing young people and that governments, educational institutions, development partners, businesses, and youth-led organisations all have different capabilities that must be brought together to create practical, accessible, and sustainable solutions.
Akinbisola notes that Africa's youthful population presents enormous possibilities, but population alone does not automatically translate into economic or social progress. He cites the disconnect between education and the realities of the labour market, limited access to finance, professional networks, mentorship, infrastructure, and business support as major challenges facing young people. Akinbisola also emphasises that young people are not a homogeneous group and that interventions must be responsive to different realities rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.
Youth Employ's work spans employability, entrepreneurship, digital innovation, and leadership, which Akinbisola believes are critical for preparing young Africans for the future of work. He emphasises that these areas are interconnected and that young people need a combination of them to navigate an increasingly complex world. By equipping young people with the competencies, practical skills, and professional attitudes required to participate effectively in the workforce, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills, Youth Employ aims to empower young people to create value, build enterprises, and participate meaningfully in the economy.
Key points
- Young people need pathways that connect learning to opportunity.
- No single organisation can solve the challenges facing young people.
- Interventions must be responsive to different realities rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.
