Development

For African Youth, Informal Sectors Jobs Are Normal

Youth Forum Breakfast, Abuja, Nigeria. Photo: Bamidele Emmanuel Oladokun / World Bank

In 2011 African heads of state met in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, for the African Union Summit. It was held under the theme: "Accelerating Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development." The main aim of the gathering was to deliberate on Africa's youth which is growing faster than any other continent. More than 200 million people in Africa are between ages 15 through 24.

“Africa is the youngest continent. The current youth of Africa are not only important for Africa but also for the world,” said Shantayanan Devarajan, Chief Economist for the World Bank’s Africa region. Young people are usually the ones who lead innovation and are a source of labor force of any economy, Devarajan added.

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What can be done to help African youth improve their prospects for a brighter future?

The first step might be to understand the challenges they face.

Recently, Microsoft Chairman and philanthropist Bill Gates wrote a terrific piece in the Wall Street Journal on why we need to measure the world’s problems to solve them. “You can achieve incredible progress if you set a clear goal and find a measure that will drive progress toward that goal…,” said Gates.

That’s true.

Last week, on my way home from work, I met a young man raising funds for a charity. He stood outside of a subway station and as part of his pitch, he asked, "if you could have any superpower, what would it be?" I offered the same answer I have been giving my children for years. "I have a superpower. It's reading." I suspect this both annoys and inspires my children. Given that annoying and inspiring are among my favorite parental duties, I rather like this answer.
Since then, a few things have happened that are making me want to revise my response to that young man.

What happens when a young population ages? How should countries prepare?

The World Bank Sri Lanka Facebook page will host a live chat January 7, 2013, on the challenge posed by Sri Lanka’s young population---one that is aging fast.

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Slogan Contest Japan
Mayu Muto, left, receives the Grand Prize for the 3rd Annual Development Slogan Contest from Kazushige Taniguchi, Special Representative of the World Bank in Tokyo.

“We will not let poverty hamper your future.”

That’s the English translation of Mayu Muto’s grand-prize winning entry in the third Development Slogan Contest sponsored by the Tokyo office of the World Bank.

Maya believes poverty should not dictate anyne’s future. She gave an inspiring speech in Japanese on Saturday early afternoon as she received her prize from Kazushige Taniguchi, Special Representative of the World Bank, along with three other Excellence Award winners of the third Development Slogan Contest. The contest is held every year in Tokyo to deepen understanding about development issues among Japanese youth.

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Sirikarn, a Thai university student, opted for a bachelor's degree taught in English. English language skills open more job opportunities and make further education abroad possible. Photo: Gerhard Jörén / World Bank

Welcome to the new blog for Youthink! -- where youth from around the world can share ideas and stories on global development.

As you can see, we’ve made some changes from the previous Youthink! site. With our new blog home, we hope to increase engagement with you and make it easier than ever to share ideas and learn about development.

For people in Madagascar who live with a disability, life is not easy.

Disabled people are often pointed at, isolated, separated from their families, or neglected. This is because disability is often considered a curse in a society where superstition is commonplace -- even if we prefer not to admit it ….

My life changed, when I met Fela. Her life story opened my eyes. My main three takeaways from my friendship with Fela are:

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There’s a small treasure in Brazil’s state of Rio Grande do Norte. It’s “The Sao Tome Philharmonic”- an orchestra rich in youthful talent located in the country’s impoverished North East.

There’s no denying the importance of biodiversity. When scientists, NGOs, policymakers and others try to convince everyone to protect biodiversity, they remind us of how we depend on it for livelihoods, medicines, soil protection and all kinds of other things, big and small.

So, naturally, we as humans have a selfish interest in looking after our world’s plants and animals.