Africa’s future belongs to hustlers who solve problems, create jobs — Aedyemi

Africa’s economic transformation will depend on a new generation of entrepreneurs who go beyond identifying challenges to building practical, sustainable solutions that create jobs and improve lives, Jamiu Adeyemi, director-general at Lagos Youth Development Institute, has said.

Adeyemi, speaking at the 2026 BusinessDay Young Innovators Forum 2.0, stressed that Africa’s future belongs to problem-solvers driven to turn ideas into impact.

“The future is not something we need to enter; it’s something we all need to create. An African-led generation of social entrepreneurs will be built by those who hustle to structure solutions that serve people, create jobs, and leave a legacy,” he said.

Moreover, he noted that social entrepreneurship by design created a shared space for millions of young Nigerians, because they are doing social work.

“The reality that is happening in Africa is that 60 percent of our population are young people who are under 25, and that is why this conversation is popular with young people.

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“Over 80 percent of jobs sit in the informal economy; we may not pay attention to it, but all these informal sectors contribute a whole lot to our growing economy,” he noted.

Adeyemi urged intending young entrepreneurs to learn how to come up with a particular problem that they can address, and if an entrepreneur does not have an idea yet, he said such a person should be able to write down who he or she wants to serve.

Besides, emphasised that young entrepreneurs must be able to formalise their business through registration, business accounts, and the ability to collaborate.

The theme of BusinessDay Young Innovators Forum 2.0 is ‘From hustle to enterprise: Building the next generation of African businesses,’ aimed at making Africa’s entrepreneurial energy visible.

However, the challenge is converting that energy into productive, scalable and enduring companies capable of creating jobs, attracting investment and competing across markets.

The BusinessDay Young Innovators Forum 2.0 is designed to address this transition. Convened by BusinessDay Media Limited, the forum brings together entrepreneurs, founders, investors, financial institutions, policymakers, corporate executives and ecosystem builders to examine what it takes to move from an entrepreneurial idea or informal business to a structured, sustainable enterprise.

According to the FATE Institute’s State of Entrepreneurship in Nigeria 2024 report, 62.3 percent of surveyed youth-led businesses reported growth over the preceding year, down from 64.2 percent in 2023. The report also found that 83 percent of youth-led businesses were five years old or younger.