As the size of the youth population in Africa has continued to grow creating enormous challenges for economies unable to create jobs fast enough, there is a pressing need for countries to think about how creating employment for an extra 1 billion people by 2050, a senior expert who participated in the just-concluded World Economic Forum on Africa (WEF) in Kigali, Rwanda, declared Friday.
Speaking at the occasion, Fred Swaniker, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of African Leadership Group, a think-tank advocating for developing and engaging leaders to transform Africa, said that spreading the benefits of the digital revolution for youth poses a huge challenge.
“If we don’t create jobs for an extra 1 billion people by 2050, were will be [likely] sitting on a ticking time bomb,” he told the gathering at one session held on the sideline of the World Economic Forum on Africa (WEF) 2016.
For people under the age of 35, the desire for employment opportunities is particularly high.
According to the latest data from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), unemployment increased from 170 million people in 2007 to 200 million people in 2012, 75 million of them young people.
Official reports indicate that Sub-Saharan Africa has the fastest population growth projected between now and 2050 and the highest youth population in the world.
According to the African Development Bank, 25% of African youths are still illiterate and despite a rise in primary school enrolment from 60% in 2000 to 77% in 2011.
“Youth unemployment in Sub-Saharan Africa is critical and should be one of highest priorities for government,” Mr. Swaniker told the gathering.
Moreover, it is said that lack of sufficient job creation is affecting both young people who lack adequate education, as well as those who possess qualifications and experience.
Swaniker believes the main reason is the lack of entrepreneurship awareness into school curriculum and encouraging financial institutions to consider the creditworthiness of young people.
“There is a pressing need for African governments to encourage the unemployed youth to become economically active in informal and agricultural sectors”, he said.
Experts insisted that generating employment opportunities for tens of thousands of school leavers is now an urgent issue for African countries before 2050.
This is because the informal economy, which accounts for up to 70 percent of economic activity in Africa, is still a potential growth area, experts said.
