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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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Youth are particularly vulnerable to economic problems. They often don’t have access to financial services due to lack of education and employment. Governments are aware of this and are working to find solutions.

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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, we launched a global conversation on what will it take... to end poverty? ....for your family to be better off? .... for all to get an education? This week, people from around the world joined the discussion with their own question: #whatwillittake for youth to get better jobs?

Today, the growth potential of a country depends on the creativity, innovation and expertise of its citizens.

Strong international competition driven by globalization—between states, businesses and individuals—is fast increasing the importance of knowledge and education.

(Update: Thanks for participating in this event. The webcast and chat is now archived online.)

In the past three months, people across the Middle East and North Africa have taken to the streets to demand – and in some cases obtain – change.

Growing aspirations of youth in the region regarding jobs and political rights very quickly raised the bar for what governments need to do.

These days, the likes of Bono and Angelina Jolie, and world leaders like Tony Blair use their celebrity status to highlight the needs of the poor and poorer nations. Effectively, conquering poverty has become a fad, a “been to, must do” action that helps both the reputation of the giver and the recipient.

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