Youth and employment in Africa

Worldwide, the youth are defined as people between the ages of 10 and 25 years (Population Reference Bureau). In Africa, 200 million people are in this age range. Worldwide and in Africa as well, the ratio of the youth-to-adult unemployment rate equals three (ILO 2006), which clearly points out the substantial difficulties of youth participation in the labour market. Yet the youth employment elasticity to GDP growth is low and only a fifth of that observed for all workers (Kapos 2005). As a consequence, youth made up 43.7% of the total employed people in the world despite accounting for only 25% of the working population. More than one third of the youth in the world is seeking but unable to find work, has given up on the job search entirely, or is working but still living below the $2 a day poverty line and Africans are no exception.

There are several reasons for this, including changes in societal goals and aspirations. Increased education is encouraged by changes in government policy, such as the introduction of such laudable programs as free, universal primary schooling, which results in an increase in secondary school enrolments. This in turn leads to a proliferation of universities. The aim is to accommodate as many qualified students as possible; but there is often inadequate planning for the future employment of graduates. In view of the modern market economy, there are many factors which contribute to unemployment and these include rapid changes in technology, recessions, inflation, disabilities, undulating business cycle, and several others.

The consequences of unemployment are not only felt by the individual but the community at large. Some of the consequences include suicide, homicide, alcoholism, child abuse, family breakdown, psychiatric hospitalization, migration, etc. The issue of unemployment is a big issue that every government today faces. In Ghana for instance, youth unemployment remains an important issue not only because of the need to empower the youth economically but also harnessing the human resource for national development. In recognition of the problem of youth unemployment, the Government of Ghana has introduced a number of measures to enhance employability of the youth. Some of the measures include the promotion of skills development programs, revision of the education sector strategy, the introduction of the Youth Venture Capital Fund (YVCF) and the enactment of a new labour law intended to ensure a more flexible labour market. The youth unemployment challenge however continues to be enormous because of the increasing gap between labour supply and the opportunities for wage employment at the firm level. Through the National Service Scheme, the Government of Ghana has been able to train a lot of the youth who in turn have gained the needed knowledge required for specific jobs. Some have also started their own businesses.

On the continent (Africa), certain measures have been taken to ensure that the issue of unemployment is dealt with. Both regional and sub-regional bodies are working tirelessly to mitigate the unemployment menace. The African Union (AU), a regional body plays a major role in the management of the unemployment issue. Other bodies working in the same light include other sub-regional bodies like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and others. Also, most developmental projects as well as institutions on the continent focus on eliminating unemployment on the African continent. For instance, African Youth Charter focus on investing in education, introducing vocational training courses needed in the labour market, etc. Again, all governments have in recent times adopted proactive measures to deal with unemployment in their countries. What do you think can be done to tackle unemployment in Africa and is there hope for the African youth?