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Successfully addressing youth unemployment in Africa implies recognizing the tremendous dominance of the informal sector . In general, jobs for youth are characterized by insecure work arrangements, low productivity and meager earnings. 5 Improving the business climate will encourage more formal enterprises to start-up but this process will take time and a successful youth employment strategy will therefore have to address the reality of the informal sector and develop approaches such as “natural clusters” that are closely aligned to the needs of the informal sector (see below). Africans are clearly demanding government support for job creation . The challenge for African policy-makers and donor partner institutions is to identify the policies that can create massive employment for the youth. It is not surprising then that the issue of youth unemployment has not yet been solved in Africa. It demands short-term and long term remedies that cut across the traditional boundaries and remits of relevant government ministries and departments. It requires matching efforts on the demand and supply sides, working with the formal and informal sectors and bridging the gulf between academia and industry.

Figure 3 : Africans are asking their governments’ to focus on creating jobs

Source: Globescan survey of 10,000 Africans in 10 Countries, 2006

To address youth unemployment it is first to critical to identify sectors having a particular potential in terms of growth and employment. Then it is required to carry out reforms to improve the general business climate of this specific sector while doing targeted investments. In this sense, the next chapter will discuss how the so called creative industries can potentially trigger growth and therefore foster youth employment in developing countries. Indeed today creative industries are among the most dynamic

5 Youth Employment in Africa – unpublished note prepared by Harold Alderman 2009.

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