By CrossRiverWatch Admin
After a decade of hosting the career day conference of the Bridge Leadership Foundation, Calabar, Cross River’s capital will lose that to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
The 11th career day of TBLF will hold on Saturday, July 10, 2021 at the NAF Conference Center and Suites, Abuja, by 10:00AM, details released by the foundation show.
The one day conference themed “The Audacious Youth: Leading Societal Change”, plans to host over 10,000 youths, thought leaders and change enthusiasts both physically and online to an insightful, engaging and enlightening experience that will encourage more youths to play a critical role in moving the country to the next level and to establish themselves as key players in nation-building.
The annual gathering began in 2010 at the Cultural Center complex in Calabar before it was hosted at the Calabar International Convention Center after 2015. Its first fully digital conference was the 10th edition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is unclear whether it was the ransacking of the CICC on October 24, 2020 or the political difference between its founder, Liyel Imoke and the current Governor, Ben Ayade that caused the shift in nor just venue, but host State.
The Career Day conference employs great minds in the field of career, leadership development, business consulting, entrepreneurship, technology and youth development in Nigeria and across Africa as speakers, who by sharing their knowledge, expertise and experience inspire, empower, educate and equip young people with the knowledge and tools required to improve their career, businesses, well-being and the society at large.
And, to headline the 11th edition as speakers are; Nelson Chamisa, Legal Practitioner Superior Court of Zambia; John Obidi, Founder Headstart Africa; Samson Itodo, Executive Director, Yiaga Africa; Foluso Gbadamosi, Executive Director, Junior Achievement Nigeria and Kunle Idowu, (Frank Donga) Actor and Digital Content Creator.
Others include Naomi Lucas, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Growth, Softcom; Rotimi Olawale, Executive Director, YouthHubAfrica; Omano Edigheji, Author, NIGERIA: Democracy Without Development, How to Fix It; Chioma Agwuegbo, Executive Director, TechHerNG and Duke Emmanuel, OAP, Hit Fm, Calabar.
The past 10 editions have been hugely successful with a yearly attendance of over 5000 young people across the South-South region in Nigeria and over 8,000 online participants in the year 2020 across countries in Africa.
The 2021 Career Day seeks to impact a knowledge exchange platform and enhance a transfer experience that will bring about ripple effects of innovative thought patterns that stimulate solution harnessing in areas of sustainable development in communities, economic transformation, public service, education, job creation among others.
The Career Day will inspire Cross fertilisation of ideas in different sectors while guiding them to take advantage of the opportunities. Crucially, it will demonstrate the need for feasible investment and partnerships that ought to drive national development and accountability.
Other sub-themes of the conference include Good Governance and Reforms: Bridging the Gap/Creating a pathway for our youths and the Nigeria Youth and the Digital Economy.
“As of today, the world of work, business, education, health, finance, community growth and humane development is changing at a faster pace than we knew it a decade ago. There is need for an uprising of audacious youths who are willing and able to bridge society needs in areas of governance, innovation and digitisation, creating enormous opportunities and eliminating several challenges faced by members of the society” TBLF said.
The Bridge Leadership Foundation is a non-governmental organisation established in 2011 with a vision “to raise a community of inspired, equipped and influential young leaders who can lead themselves and others”.
“Over the last 10 years, we have implemented programmes that not only inspire, empower and engage youths but create effective connections and mentorships that aid these young people to become leaders in themselves and to others.
“Our contributions based on our database has reached over 25,000 youths categorised into public secondary schools, tertiary institutions, graduates, youths corps members, teachers, rural community dwellers and women. The Bridge Leadership Foundation collaborates with credible organisations to deliver its programmes and has influenced thousands of youths and women since its inception,” TBLF said.