Mit fast 200 Millionen Menschen zwischen 15 bis 24 Jahren, hat Afrika die jüngste Bevölkerung der Welt. Bis 2045 wird sich diese Zahl voraussichtlich verdoppeln. Eine aktuelle Studie der Vereinten Nationen bezeichnet Arbeit und Bildung als Top-Prioritäten für den afrikanischen Kontinent in der "Post-2015-Ära".
Youth employment in Africa under the spotlight
With almost 200 million people between the ages of 15 and 24, the African
continent boasts the youngest population in the world. By 2045, that figure is
expected to double. The African Development Bank (AfDB) is working on providing
youth with the skills, education and jobs they need to secure their
future.
A recent study by the United Nations has cited jobs and
education as top priorities for Africans in the post-2015 era. The My World
Survey findings are in line with what experts have previously described as a
risk. This is high unemployment, which calls for urgent need to ensure economic
development that creates job opportunities and builds skills, particularly for
youth.
Sub-Saharan Africa's population is reportedly growing at the
fastest rate in the world. Over 65 percent of people living on the continent are
below 30 years old and 200 million of them are aged between 15 and 24 years,
according to the 2014 African Economic Outlook report.
"Look at the
demographic dynamics. Population growth in regions such as the Sahel remains
very high, as high as 3.9 per cent, while internal migration has
accelerated with up to 40 per cent of people now living in unplanned,
poorly equipped cities and towns, amidst squalor and unemployment. As a result,
young people – around 15 million of who enter the labour market each year –
cannot find jobs, either because few are available, or because their skills do
not match the needs," AfDB President Donald Kaberuka said recently.
"And
in some regions, as they cannot find jobs or see hope for the future, they
become easy victims to terrorist groups, or human traffickers promising them
imaginary El Dorados, only for them to perish in the Mediterranean," Kaberuka
observed.
In the AU's Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, leaders commit to
eliminating youth unemployment, guaranteeing Africa’s youth full access to
education, training, skills and technology, health services, jobs and economic
opportunities, as well as financial means and all necessary resources to allow
them to realise their full potential.
"Success will depend upon what we
do," Kaberuka said at the Bank's Annual Meetings in May 2015. He added: "The
young people being lured by human traffickers to an imaginary El Dorado, only to
perish in the Mediterranean, remains indeed, a scar; an indictment. There are
indeed many mountains to climb. (i) Managing the vortex of forces Africa faces –
demographic dynamics, rapid internal migration, and management of natural
resources. (ii) Fighting inequalities, promoting inclusive societies, well in
the knowledge that gross inequality hinders growth, corrupts politics, squanders
talent, and undermines the very foundations of society. (iii) Seizing the
windows of opportunity – such as the demographic dividend – by fixing our
primary health care systems and getting all our children quality
education."
The AfDB is involved in various initiatives aimed at
empowering youth on the continent. In Tunisia for example, the Souk At-tanmia
initiative, has already contributed to creation of 400 jobs, most of them in
regions with high unemployment rates especially among youth and women. The
projects involves among others, offering training in entrepreneurial
skills.
The Bank recently met with the International Cocoa Organisation
in Abidjan to explore ways of boosting Africa's cocoa industry. The focus is on
how to increase business and employment opportunities for youth and women.
Africa produces 73 per cent of the world's cocoa,
70 per cent coming from Côte d'Ivoire,
Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria. Agriculture is seen as one of the sectors with
potential to create employment for youth.
A proposed project, ENABLE
Youth (Empowering Novel Agri-Business-Led Employment for Youth in African
Agriculture), is another initiative through which the AfDB seeks to reach out to
close to 800,000 youth in 20 countries in southern, eastern and western Africa
regions. The programme will be designed to appeal to disenfranchised young
African adults through a comprehensive outreach approach that will see them
receive life-skills education (effective and functional job training) and
information on proven technologies and opportunities.
The programme will
also come with 20,000 internships, 10,000 agribusiness startups, and 30,000 new
jobs in rural and urban areas, leading to incomes of at least US $450 per
month.
In addition to supporting agriculture, the Bank is offering
assistance to initiatives aimed at improving the education sector to provide
skills required in the labour market.
The AfDB and its development
partners also recognize the role of the informal sector in providing jobs and
livelihoods for the most vulnerable populations, including youth. Organizing the
sector and providing informal workers with better access to financing would
contribute to their economic development.