By Morgen Makombo Sikwila
The youth population in sub-Saharan Africa is increasing rapidly. Nearly one in three people living in the region is between the ages of 10 and 35. By 2030, that age group is projected to be more than double.
The youth of the region are also becoming better educated. The age 20-to-35-year-olds who complete secondary and tertiary education will also increase over the next 10 years. Consequently, as sub-Saharan Africa’s workforce becomes larger and better educated, there is an overwhelming potential for economic growth and development. Countries must take the opportunity to cultivate the capacity of their youth, a valuable resource for their prosperity.
Youth unemployment remains a barrier to the region’s development. Some of the highest rates on the continent are in Southern Africa, where a bigger percentage of young women and men are unemployed. This large unemployed population indicates lost potential since communities and nations fail to benefit from what the young people could theoretically contribute. Also, difficulties finding and sustaining employment detracts from a young person’s lifetime productivity and earnings, making it more challenging to escape poverty.
One of the reasons young people are having trouble finding employment is a limited number of jobs. Between 2000 and 2018, only about a third of the million jobs created in Africa were for people aged 18 to 35. This challenge causes young people to settle for less-than-ideal employment, such as jobs that are low-paying, temporary, or unsafe, or ones for which they are overqualified. Most ot the youths enter the informal economy to make ends meet. Others stop looking for jobs altogether and indulge in drugs. The number of available jobs for young people is only part of the problem. While improving, educational systems are still failing to provide a large proportion of youth with the skills they need to secure a living. Without the ability to attain basic skills or the specific ones that match the demands of the labor market and industry, many youth are unable to find employment.
Certain types of skills determine whether young people will be able to find work, contribute to their local and national economies, and live up to their individual developmental and earning potentials.
Foundation skills, or basic literacy and vocational training skills developed, can permit people to get jobs that pay enough to meet daily needs. These skills are a prerequisite to further training and skill development; without which the possibilities of attaining gainful employment or participating in entrepreneurial activities are reduced.
Transferrable skills, such as analysis, communication, problem solving, creativity and leadership that can be transferred and adapted to different environments are so important. Staying in school helps develop these skills, as do internships or work-based programs.
Technical and vocation skills, in areas like agriculture, computers or carpentry, can be gained through work-placement programs or apprenticeships.
In many sub-Saharan African countries, at least half of young people aged 18 to 35 lack foundation skills, often because they had never attended school or they dropped out of school before gaining basic literacy or numeracy. In SSA, 37 percent of girls and 32 percent of boys of lower secondary-school ages are not attending school because of poverty. In some countries, the situation is much more dire. Some leave school to work in low-skill jobs where the possibility of advancement is limited, and national education systems provide little opportunity to gain these critical skills in the future.
According to UNESCO, still less than 38% of youth benefit from a higher education. For most youth, especially in developing economies, there are opportunity costs with many having to prioritize putting food on the table at the expense of further education. This raises the question: how can we create equitable incentives for youth from all walks of life enabling them to learn and strengthen their skills? Scholarships are the traditional way to incentivize education – either as money you receive to put towards your skills training or as a reward for learners upon their training’s completion.
Opportunities to develop a specific set of skills that matches the needs of the job market are often limited. Even if young people finish primary school most of them do not necessarily progress to secondary school or have the skills needed by employers.
Recent reports from UNESCO and the International Labour Organization have recommended that governments, the private sector, and international donors pursue integrated, comprehensive policies and strategies that create jobs for young people and improve the transition between school and work. Some strategies include policies to improve labor standards and social protection for youth, like acceptable wages and work conditions; and programs that target specific youth populations, like disadvantaged young women, to boost their skills and employability. Second-chance education for individuals with low or no foundation skills will help these youth catch up later in life.
Decision makers need to listen to the voices of young people and allow opportunities for dialogue. Recommendations also include improving the ability to measure the mismatch between what youth know and what employers need.
Today, economies in sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing rapid growth, averaging 5.3 percent in GDP growth in 2015—well above the world average of 3.3 percent per year. At the same time, approximately 2 million people will enter the labor market from now until 2030. With a greater appreciation of the size and economic potential of young people and more comprehensive education-to-employment strategies, sub-Saharan Africa will be able to make the most of this opportunity for development.
Showing young people they are capable of creating jobs for themselves and economic livelihoods for other people, through entrepreneurship can change the world. Reaching young people at the time of their life when they’re deciding who they are and who they can become, it’s actually incredibly impactful.
Unemployment and underemployment among young people are critical issues in international development today, and will remain so in years to come. This is particularly the case in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where the population of young people is increasingly growing. One major problem is that the rate of creation of decent employment opportunities lags far behind the number of young people who are becoming economically active. In recent years the youth employment challenge in Africa has moved up the development agenda, spurred by events and phenomena such as the Arab Spring and migration from Africa, and by the perceived security challenge posed by ‘idle’ youth. National governments need to plan for the youth.
Addressing youth unemployment requires a multi-pronged creative approach going beyond just creating new jobs, including fostering entrepreneurship, incentivizing upskilling and rewarding positive behaviours. It is a collective responsibility involving governments, businesses, educational institutions and young people.
By harnessing the potential of youth and young people, we can not only tackle the current employment crisis, but also pave the way for a more dynamic and resilient global economy.
While young talent entering the workforce do not have the most promising prospects, I am optimistic because this generation has resilience and grit. Youth are hungry, they are creative, and they are problem solvers, and they deserve better. We owe it to them to be proactive, innovative and inclusive.
Young people are leading change in their communities and around the world they are our greatest hope. We must ensure they have the skills they need to thrive.
Morgen Morgen Makombo Sikwila
MSc Peace and Governance
BSc Counselling
Diploma in Environmental Health
Certificate in Marketing Management
