Boosting Decent Employment for Africa’s Youth

Africa has the youngest and fastest-growing population in the world. Over the next decade, an estimated 122 million young Africans will join the labour force, only to discover that there are limited employment opportunities available to them. In 2019, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that 12 million young people were unemployed in sub-Saharan Africa and 65 million young people were working but living in poverty.

Economies need to create greater numbers of better and more decent jobs. There is also a mismatch between the skills young job seekers possess and those needed to start their own business or work for employers in growing areas of the economy. Further evidence is needed to understand the best ways to educate young people and prepare them for the labour market.

In response to this challenge, Boosting Decent Employment for Africa’s Youth seeks to:

help youth develop soft skills and be better equipped for digital jobs; and
support work-based learning programs and mentorship opportunities.

Working with 65 researchers from 18 research institutions around the world, the initiative aims to help develop and pilot potential solutions to the youth employment challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. It will do so by generating new and rigorous evidence, sharing knowledge, and advocating for evidence-based policymaking and programming.

Launched in 2019, the initiative is a partnership with IDRC, the Dutch Knowledge Platform on Inclusive Development Policies, and the ILO, under the guidance of the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth.

Read the brochure to learn more about the initiative.

Contact eg@idrc.ca to receive news about this partnership.