The Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, has stated that empowering youths in the state is key to addressing poverty and crime, noting that gainful engagement reduces the lure of negative vices in society.

Ogunlende made this remark while speaking with journalists on Wednesday during the Amplifier Business Clinic pitch competition, where investors and judges listened to 35 business pitches after a leadership and business training masterclass for over 100 participants.

“The programme goes beyond disbursing grants, offering participants valuable lessons in leadership, financial literacy, pitching and presentation skills.

“Even if you don’t win a grant, the knowledge and exposure you gain position you to perform better in business,” the Commissioner explained.

“When young people know they must show up, deliver results, and get paid, they abandon illegal activities and gradually drop those habits,” he asserted.

He, however, stated that over 70 per cent of the youths in Lagos are entrepreneurs requiring fiscal and enterprising support to upscale their businesses.

The commissioner also reiterated Lagos State Government’s commitment to empowering young entrepreneurs through the Amplifier Business Clinic, a flagship programme in partnership with Pelse Consulting, designed to sharpen entrepreneurial skills and provide access to grants, mentorship, and strategic networks.

At the third cohort of the pitch competition, he emphasised that not every graduate will land a white-collar job, making entrepreneurship a vital path to survival in Nigeria’s challenging economic terrain.

According to the commissioner, an estimated 70 – 80 per cent of Lagos youths are already engaged in various entrepreneurial ventures, driven by the necessity of multiple income streams in a difficult economy.

“Our goal is to amplify what they are already doing, expose them to investors, and give them the foundation to scale their businesses,” he said.

He stressed that the initiative is open, transparent, and merit-driven, noting that applicants do not require personal connections to qualify.

On his part, the Managing Partner of Pelse Consulting, Adeniji Boboye, asserted that the goal of the initiative is to ensure that young people who have started to create value via a business get to understand how to build right.

“We help them learn how to put the right structure into what they’re doing and then continue to live a decent life as a person first before they begin to scale and grow by employing further people with the business.

“In the last four years, the Amplifier Business Clinic has been an awesome experience, seeing businesses grow with a better understanding as participants take their businesses to the next stage.

“To effectively build organisations that can become multi-million dollar or multi-billion dollar investments that have legacy and can probably outlive the founders, this kind of training is needed. We are happy to see that a lot of young people who have passed through this programme are doing amazing stuff,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary to the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, (Mrs.) Oluwatoyin Oke-Osanyintolu opined that for more effectiveness, the Amplifier Business Clinic would be structured to hold simultaneously at the five subdivisions of the state, which are: Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Epe, and Lagos Island.

“We are trying to ensure that the program gets to more youth who require it. When you tell somebody in Badagry to come all the way to Ikeja for a 2 or 3-day programme, there might be the problem of transportation. So, we are thinking of decentralising the training and having the training in all five divisions. However, the grand finale will be held in Ikeja,” she remarked.

Giving her remarks, one of the participants and Founder of Ofada Hub, Amina Kazeem, said, “This has been an excellent programme. They taught us about finance, business plan, the art of pitching, understanding your market, and customer service, among others.

“One area that I am already looking forward to implementing is the customer aspect, especially the utilisation of customer feedback for the sustainability and growth of my business. Customer feedback is vital, and I would utilise this to understand how best to serve them and how to adjust my offerings and services to what the customer wants.

“Beyond generating funds, I also learnt that businesses must be solving a problem or providing a solution because that is what makes the business sustainable.”

The programme combines leadership development, business training, mentorship, and a competitive pitch component, where participants present their business ideas for potential funding and investor support. The initiative aligns with the state government’s broader strategy to curb unemployment, reduce crime, and foster economic inclusion by equipping young people with the skills and opportunities they need to succeed in business.

Now in its third cohort, the Amplifier Business Clinic continues to attract growing interest among young entrepreneurs across the state, contributing to the government’s vision of creating a resilient and self-reliant youth population.