2Baba named brand ambassador for Nigeria’s job creation secretariat

Signed in Abuja, the agreement will leverage 2Baba’s influence to promote initiatives aimed at boosting job creation and supporting small businesses across Nigeria, where nearly 66% of the 220 million population is under the age of 25.

The move was praised by Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, senior special assistant to the president on job creation, who noted it would rally private sector support for public initiatives aimed at job creation and business sustainability.

“With President Bola Tinubu’s administration mission of supporting small businesses and creating jobs, we thought of how best to sustain this momentum, promoting MSME activities, awards, hubs, and single-digit loans,” he said.

2Baba, who serves as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and leads the 2Baba Foundation, said: “[For] most of our [young people] today, there are so many things going that they can easily be deviated from following the right positive trajectory of life. But with this, people might even underestimate the power and value that this will bring to both the individuals, their communities and the country as a whole.

“I really commend this initiative, I commend the show of concern and show of support from the government towards young people, small businesses.

Deputy Director of the Office of Trade and International Relations at National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Sarah Ajayi also highlighted the significant influence of entertainment on young Nigerians, making 2Baba’s appointment as brand ambassador a fitting choice.

The announcement coincides with a rise in youth unemployment in Nigeria, as recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics reveals an increase to 8.4% in Q1 2024, up from 6.9% in Q1 2023, leaving 12.68 million young Nigerians without work.

Earlier this month, Bama Mayonnaise named 2Baba as its new brand ambassador to lead the company’s “Bamaliciously Good” campaign.

In addition to his latest ambassadorial roles, 2Baba, who exited management firm The Plantashun Boiz for Now Muzik in March, also recently released a new single titled ‘Kuku Google Am’ rumoured to herald an upcoming album. The track tackles the issue of gossipmongers comparing celebrities’ financial worth.

2Baba boasts eight albums and several accolades, including a Lifetime Achievement laurel at the 2023 Trace Awards. In 2019, Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife named him pioneer fellow of its school of music.