Microsoft Word - Achieving the promise of african cultural e

Accounting for 37 percent of the working-age 2 population, the youth nevertheless make up 60 percent of the unemployed . Almost ¾ of the youth live in poverty subsisting on less than US$2 per day. 3 The youth’s most abundant asset is their labor and yet it is not being put to good use: 3 out of 5 of the continent’s youth are out of work. Young people are a potential source of growth and social development if gainfully and productively engaged. But they could also become a source of devastating social tension and conflict if they are marginalized. 4 The continent has already witnessed the devastation of conflicts partly brought on by disenfranchised youth in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Nigeria, Liberia and Cote D’Ivoire.

Figure 2 : Youth African labor force represents Africa most precious asset

The challenge of making the youth work

Unemployment of Africa’s youth is already a huge challenge but if not tackled now it will only grow in the future . Youth unemployment has steadily worsened over the years. It is estimated that of the 8-10 million new entrants to the labor market less than 1 in 10 find wage employment in either the formal or informal sector. African economies, wrapped in red tape and stymied by bureaucratic obstacles, are not able to create sufficient jobs to keep up with the rate of population growth (2.5 percent). This is true even when they are able to grow rapidly for sustained periods of time. The jobs that do exist are often found in family agriculture or the peri-urban informal sector. 2 The working age population is defined as those between 15-64 although it is noted that child labor is a reality for many African children between the ages of 6-14. 3 Africa Development Indicators 2008/09 4 Youth and Employment in Africa, UN Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa September 2002.

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