Mrs Edu Ekpo, The Chief Executive Officer of Scrum Consult,has urged young people to develop sound decision-making skills and the right mindset to navigate an increasingly uncertain and changing world.
Ekpo gave the advice during a four-day Agile project programme at Kuramo Senior Secondary School, Victoria Island, on Tuesday.
The initiative was part of the organisation’s corporate social responsibility to prepare young people for adulthood.
She said the programme was designed to equip the participants with knowledge, leadership skills and the mindset required to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
According to her, young people need to be prepared not only to lead themselves but also to practice servant leadership and positively impact society.
“We are here as a continuation of our corporate social responsibility to be able to help the younger children, who are approaching adulthood, to have the right mindset and the right leadership skills.
“They need the knowledge and skills necessary for them to succeed in an ever-changing world. They need to be equipped to lead themselves, practice servant leadership and impact and lead society at large,” she said.
Ekpo said the fast pace of technological and societal changes made it important for young people to develop the capacity to respond effectively to emerging challenges.
She noted that several revolutions had taken place over time, stressing that young people should be adequately prepared to participate meaningfully in emerging developments.
She said one of the most important skills they needed was the ability to make sound and evidence-based decisions.
“For me, it is about them being able to make decisions. Leadership is about decision-making and how they are able to have the right way to make decisions that will impact them in today’s era.
“They should consider the things they are going through, gather evidence and make insightful decisions that can help them tomorrow,” she said.
The Scrum Consult CEO said the objective of the programme was not merely to prepare the participants for current realities but to equip them with frameworks and mindsets that could remain useful as circumstances changed.
According to her, the young people do not need to predict what the future will look like but should develop the capacity to adapt to it.
“The whole idea is not just to prepare them for today’s era. We are preparing them for tomorrow, the future of tomorrow.
“They don’t need to start predicting what will happen tomorrow. All they need is to have the right framework and the right mindset,” she said.
Ekpo said some of the principles were documented in the book – “Leading in Uncertainty”, which he said exposed young people to frameworks that could help them develop their leadership capacities.
She explained that the frameworks were intended to help the participants internalise appropriate approaches to decision-making and leadership and apply them to their personal development.
She said the ultimate objective of the four-day programme was to achieve a positive transformation in the mindset and behaviour of the participants.
“At the end of this four-day programme, I want to see a new mindset. I want them to be empowered and transformed in and out.
“I want to see how they guide themselves, how they guide their habits, how they make decisions and how they become better leaders for today and tomorrow,” he said.
Ekpo expressed the hope that the knowledge and skills acquired by the participants would extend beyond the programme and contribute to positive development in the wider society.
She said the broader goal was to develop young people who would become responsible leaders and contribute to making Nigeria a better place.
She described the initiative as an investment in young people, stressing the importance of equipping them early with the skills required to respond to the challenges and opportunities of the future.
She said the programme was,therefore, focused on developing not only technical knowledge but also personal discipline, leadership capacity and responsible decision-making among the participants.
Ekpo added that the initiative is part of Scrum Consult’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, taking Leading in Uncertainty to teenagers and equipping them with the mindset and leadership skills needed to navigate a changing world.
She said that, just as industrialisation transformed the world of work, AI, automation, digital technology, and other emerging technologies are reshaping the world today.
“Human beings have always solved problems with the knowledge, tools, and resources available to them. The tools may change, but the ability to learn, adapt, collaborate, and solve problems remains essential,” she said.
Through Leading in Uncertainty, students are introduced to practical concepts such as empirical process control, value prioritisation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, helping them make better decisions, respond to change, and focus on what creates the greatest value.
