OUR ISSUES
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT & SKILLS
OUR ISSUES
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT & SKILLS
Overview
Africa’s youth population is growing rapidly, and it is expected that by 2050, the majority of young people in the world will live on the continent. However, even today, there are not enough decent jobs to absorb the up to 20 million young Africans entering the labor market each year. Three-quarters of entrants to the labor market are self-employed or work in microenterprises, and less than 5% will find a formal wage-paying job. Equipping young Africans with the skills required to meet the growing and fast-evolving demands of the labor market is crucial. Secondary education, in particular, will be critical in preparing young Africans to earn a decent living.
Our Youth Employment and Skills (YES) programs, initiatives, and research projects help African countries create an enabling environment for developing youth skills to meet current and future job demands. Our work supports governments in identifying sectors with the capacity for rapid job creation and helps them to improve the ease of doing business to attract more investment. We also engage African youth on economic policy by facilitating dialogues between young people and policymakers in partnership with youth organizations.
Key Contacts
Mona Iddrisu
Programs
YES Pan-African Coalition for Transformation (PACT) Chapter
The YES PACT Chapter will help countries across Africa identify common problems and challenges faced in Youth Employment and Skills and identify examples of best practices in one or more countries to be shared.
Featured Reports & Studies
Côte d’Ivoire, a lower-middle income country, experienced economic growth rates averaging 8 percent over the period 2012-2019. However, this economic performance has not translated into decent job creation, with formal employment estimated at only 6.4 percent of total employment in 2016. The job market also has a skills mismatch of around 75 percent, resulting in underemployment...
The education system in Niger is performing poorly. Several factors underscore the poor performance of the system, including enrollment increases but funding decreases, a lack of specific teacher qualifications, insufficient quantity and quality of teaching materials, and an overloaded and obsolete curriculum.
Ethiopia faces three key challenges regarding employment: (i) creating new jobs to absorb new entrants to the labor market; (ii) improving the quality of existing jobs (since most jobs are vulnerable); and (iii) preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This fast growth of a youthful working-age population could be a great asset for socio-economic development...
Ethiopia faces three key challenges regarding employment: (i) creating new jobs to absorb new entrants to the labor market; (ii) improving the quality of existing jobs (since most jobs are vulnerable); and (iii) preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This fast growth of a youthful working-age population could be a great asset for socio-economic development...
Featured Insights & Ideas
Upcoming Events
Past Events
YES PACT Learning Series: Learning from the Rwanda TVET Center of Excellence Initiative
YES PACT Learning Series: Learning from the Rwanda TVET Center of Excellence Initiative
This webinar will bring together YES PACT Chapter members and policymakers involved in TVET education in Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Rwanda, as well as TVET providers and teachers/trainers.
Policy Learning Event: Strengthening Education and Learning Systems to Deliver a 4IR-Ready Workforce
Policy Learning Event: Strengthening Education and Learning Systems to Deliver a 4IR-Ready Workforce
The African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) is hosting a policy learning forum as part of the Youth, Employment and Skills (YES) Program, which is supported by the Mastercard Foundation.
Validation Workshop - YES: Strengthening Education and Learning Systems to Deliver a 4IR-Ready Workforce , Niger country report
Validation Workshop - YES: Strengthening Education and Learning Systems to Deliver a 4IR-Ready Workforce , Niger country report
The African Center for Economic Transformation will hold a country validation workshop in Niger on November 10. The workshop will bring together over 50 key stakeholders to discuss ACET's ongoing study on "Strengthening Education and Learning Systems to Deliver a 4IR-Re...
