Sports: Economic Booster, Panacea To Youth Unemployment
By Victor UDU
The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh has asserted that the Sports industry remains one critical sector with capacity to tackle youth unemployment and enhance economic growth in the nation.
The Minister who made this assertion during a visit to the Governor of Enugu state,Peter Mbah on Sunday noted that the vast potentials of the industry informed President Tinubu's decision to create a separate ministry for sports development as sports is expected to contribute in so many ways especially in job creations and security in the country.
According to Enoh, " Sports is a 5 trillion dollar industry. Sports has the power to inspire and change the world. It has the power to give hope where there's despair. Sports speaks to the youths in a language they understand. Sports has more power than government to break barriers and boundaries of racial discrimination and injustices".
He commended the Enugu government's commitment towards promoting the sports sector through introduction of innovations and comprehensive upgrade and rebranding of sporting facilities while assuring that federal government was interested in collaboration with the Enugu state to ensure the transformation of the sports sector into a viable profitable business enterprise.
"Sports is no longer for leisure and recreation, it's a a vital business sector, we need to start thinking of how to translate the passion and energies of our youths for sports into business, which will boost Enugu's economy and the country's economy. the Minister posited.
"The national sports policy is talking about infrastructure, incentives and investment because the businessman who wants to invest in sports is doing so with genuine expectations
We on our part must appreciate such partnership and work toward transforming the sector because it has the potentials to contribute between 4 to 7 percent to our GDP " he said.
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In his response, the Enugu state Governor, Peter Mbah who was represented by the Secretary to State Government, Prof Chidebere Onyia said the state will continue to play the role of a catalyst by helping to bring about the change the nation seeks to achieve in sports and youth development.
"It's reassuring because that is in line with the vision of this administration, which is also in our manifesto, on how youths are going to be integrated into the economic development trajectory, because Enugu state has a growth trajectory of 4.4b to 30b dollars in the next eight years. And we are mindful of the role sports will play to achieve this target," the governor noted.
The Governor called for more collaboration between government and the private sector to expand the horizon of sports and youth development for economic benefits and ensure sustainability.
Mbah disclosed plans to rebuild Enugu Rangers promising to change the way sports is perceived in the country to make Enugu a model.
