school ( compared with nearly all adults in industrialized countries ). While around 30 percent of lower secondary school age children enrol , just 35 percent of them complete it ( and these averages mask big differences between middle , low-income and conflict-affected countries ).
In the school system , there is low proficiency in reading and mathematics , low enrolment in science , technology , engineering and maths ( STEM ) and a low proportion of university students per population .
Students are among the 10-12 million youth who enter the SSA workforce each year , yet only three million formal jobs are created ( AfDB , 2017 ). For those who get a job these days , there is often a mismatch between their skillsets and employers ’ current needs . In future , this mismatch will get worse , with more job-seekers even less prepared for jobs , which , with technological change , require high levels of critical thinking , writing and other soft skills .
The list of Africa ’ s challenges is long . The focus , therefore , must be on the strategies , planning and implementation that will transform economies and create decent jobs . Agriculture may be the easiest path to industrialisation through agro-processing , with the abundance of low-wage labour and land .
Modernizing agriculture means boosting productivity and strengthening linkages with other sectors to improve food security , reduce food imports and increase
Africa ’ s youth are both an asset and a time bomb . At current trends , nearly half of these vibrant young people will be unemployed , discouraged , or economically inactive by 2025 . A well-publicised fraction is migrating , often by dangerous routes , to search for jobs .
Basic policies for transformation include diversification , export competitiveness , higher productivity and technological upgrading . Progress will depend on committed governance , stronger institutions , and how quickly SSA can produce a much better educated and skilled workforce and create decent jobs that keep pace with workforce growth .
exports . Modernizing agriculture also stimulates production and service activities along the value chain , providing jobs for young people and higher incomes across the economy .
The advent of the African Continental Free Trade Area ( AfCFTA ) should spur Sub-Saharan Africa to capitalize quickly on its opportunities . The continent may have a decade to boost manufacturing before the cost of robots falls enough to replace human labour in some sectors . Even then , SSA will need to grow and maintain labour-intensive production into the future .
With the value of SSA food and beverage markets projected to reach US $ 1 trillion by 2030 , countries can already make inroads into lucrative regional markets by raising production and productivity with upgraded labour-force skills , technology and infrastructure . Basic conditions for the above include better access to land , security of land rights and access to credit and technology .
Besides agro-processing , there is growing opportunity in wood products , garments and leather for labour-intensive local and regional market-focused manufacturing as AfCFTA develops . Automation will come faster in the automobile , electronics , extractives and construction subsectors .
These are capital intensive but can create indirect jobs through stronger links to other sectors and promotion of local content and value addition . For example , manufacturing can provide inputs for the extractives sector and spur entrepreneurship and job creation .
Services may benefit most from 4IR . Already the fastest-growing sector for job creation in most African economies , it could grow by 3.8 percent each year to 2030 . But the sector needs modernization , with upgraded skills and infrastructure to promote 4IR-induced and ICT-based job opportunities , from mobile payments and vending to customer service , sales and human resourcing jobs .
4IR may also hasten formalization . Fast-growing mobile banking opens up opportunities for self-employed workers and makes it easier for them to access credit and make payments , including of taxes . ICT platforms can also help develop business models amenable to increased youth participation . Examples include linking farmers to markets and service providers ( rental of tractors and other equipment ) and assuring the packaging and food safety standards that enable access to lucrative international markets .
Keys To The Future For Africa ’ s Youth
The key to unlocking Africa ’ s potential is a better educated and more highly-skilled workforce . This requires systemic changes from kindergarten onwards .
The essential ingredients include : greater access to early childhood education ; an emphasis on ICT skills and critical thinking from primary level onwards ; much higher participation in STEM ; much higher participation in upgraded technical and vocational education and training ( TVET ); and investing in well-paid teachers trained to work with modified curricula to prepare students for the new world of work . Teachers also need training to provide gender-sensitive pedagogy to keep girls in schools .
Countries need to work towards the
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