By Feyishola Jaiyesimi

Copyright businessday

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), in partnership with members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS), recently advocated for stronger support for the creative sector and youth-led businesses in preparation for hosting the 41st Omolayole Management Lecture Series.

Hosted in honour of Michael Omolayole, a renowned management expert, this year’s theme is ‘Plotlines of Prosperity: African Stories, African Rights & African Returns’.

“The theme of this year’s lecture, ‘Plotlines of Prosperity: African Stories, African Rights & African Returns,’ is not only timely but profoundly transformative,” said Gabriel Idahosa, president of LCCI, represented by Leye Kupoluyi, who is the deputy president of LCCI.

“By interrogating the plotlines of prosperity, we are committing ourselves to a deeper understanding of how narratives shape perception, how rights secure dignity, and how returns, economic, social, and cultural, must be maximised for the continent’s sustainable growth,” he added.

In his formal invitation on behalf of the late Michael Omolayole, Idahosa said: “I formally invite you to the 41st Omolayole Management Lecture held in Commerce House on Thursday, September 25, 2025.”

Idahosa told journalists that the series will deliberately spotlight creativity and youth entrepreneurship.

“If you don’t tell a story, nobody will tell a story,” he said, adding that the lecture will build on past initiatives that inspired young Nigerians in ICT and other fields.

“Creativity nowadays is not just about acting on stage. It’s about so many things that drive the economy,” he noted, urging young creators to learn how to protect and monetise their work.

Idahosa said organisers scheduled the lecture for Thursday, 25 September 2025 and described the theme as a call to action.

Marcel Mba, president of AIESEC Alumni Association, said the organisers intentionally invited a creative-sector speaker from elsewhere in Africa to broaden the conversation.

“This year, we are having a speaker coming from Kenya,” Mba said, naming award-winning author Yvonne Owuor as one of the invited voices.

“Africa is now our country,” he added, arguing that cross-continental engagement will help Africans tell and own their stories, and secure better returns for creators.”

Additionally, Chinyere Almona, director-general of LCCI, described the lecture as a development platform for young people and appealed to the media to give the event wide coverage.

“This is a pivotal moment for the young ones and for the future of our nation and our continent,” Almona said, and encouraged stakeholders to attend the programme, which she said will be a day young people “will not forget.”

Oluwatoyin Naiwo, registrar and chief executive, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria, framed the theme as a timely antidote to rising emigration.

“Africa Returns also represents the fact that we are promoting to the youths, especially in light of the relocation situation with ‘Japa’, that there is still a lot to offer in Nigeria,” she noted.

Adding that, “We encourage our youths to look at the fact that Nigeria is great. Nigeria can be greater.”

Speakers at the lecture will include business leaders, academics and creative-sector practitioners who, organisers say, will explore how African narratives, rights and returns can drive inclusive economic growth and ensure that creators and youth-led enterprises capture the value they generate.