Presently,
40 million of Africa’s youths are unemployed and this represents 60 per cent of
the continent’s unemployed active labour force, the African Economic
Outlook 2012, released on 31st May 2012.
The report says of these 40 million youths, 22 million
have given up on finding a job, many of them women.
“Creating productive employment for Africa’s rapidly
growing young population is an immense challenge but also the key to future
prosperity”, the authors say in the foreword.
Co-written by the African Development Bank, the OECD
Development Centre, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the report says youth are an
opportunity for future economic growth.
Between 2000 and 2008, despite world-topping economic
growth rates, and a better educated youth, Africa created only 16 million jobs
for young people aged between 15 and 24.
“The continent is experiencing jobless growth,” said
Mthuli Ncube, Chief Economist and Vice-President of the African Development
Bank (AfDB). “That is an unacceptable reality on a continent with such an
impressive pool of youth, talent and creativity”.
The report argues youth unemployment figures will
increase unless Africa moves swiftly to make youth employment a priority,
turning its human capital into economic opportunity. On the other hand, youths
can present a significant threat to social cohesion and political stability if
they do not secure decent living conditions.
