BBC Africa Today

Was my university degree worth it?

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Earlier this year, a young Nigerian went viral after saying he would rather be a donkey in Malawi than a graduate in Nigeria. And he wasn't alone. Another young man made headlines after taking to the streets of Abuja with a placard declaring that he had a BA, MSc and PhD - but still couldn't find a job.

Young Nigerians account for the largest share of the country's unemployed population and for many graduates earning a degree has not translated into finding a job. A recent report by ActionAid and Plan International put the number of unemployed young people at 80million, many of which have received formal education to the tertiary level.

So, why are so many young Nigerian graduates struggling to find work? Is the problem with Nigeria's education system, the economy, or something else?

Focus on Africa podcast host, Nkechi Ogbonna, travelled to Lagos to hear from people on different sides of the issue: Olamide Adeyeye, who works with a job-search platform; 23-year-old Titilayo Nwosu, a botany graduate from Nnamdi Azikiwe University; and Dr Suraj, a lecturer at the University of Lagos.

Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna
Producers: Keikantse Shumba,Carolyne Jotham and Faith Oshoko
Technical producer: David Kinyanjui
Senior producers: Blessing Aderogba and Priya Sippy
Editors: Daniel Dadzie and Maryam Abdalla.
11 Sep 11AM English United Kingdom News

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