Why Is It Important for Africa to Invest in Its Youth?

The health and wellbeing of young people in sub-Saharan Africa: an under-researched area?

“…While other countries in the developing world will experience a decline in the proportion of their population that comprises youth, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will continue to experience an increase [2]. The youth bulge in many African countries stems from high fertility and improvements in child health.…”

“…Many sub-Saharan African youth join the labor force without adequate educational and professional preparation. Child labor in the region is among the highest in the world – evidence from 29 African countries shows that, on average, 35% of children under the age of 15 work [2]. Early entry into employment has been associated with poor labor market experiences and reduced earning potential [12].…”

What Works for Young People's Development? A Case Study of BRAC's Empowerment and Livelihoods for Adolescent Girls Programme in Uganda and Tanzania

“…This resolution highlighted five main policy areas including i) policies to increase aggregate demand and improve access to finance ii) education and training to ease the school-to-work transition and prevent skills mismatches iii) labour market policies to target employment of disadvantaged youth iv) entrepreneurship and selfemployment and v) labour rights that ensure young people receive equal treatment (ILO 2013). 4 This represents a two-fold approach, incorporating policies that promote stronger employment growth and those that ensure that the most disadvantaged young people acquire the literacy, numeracy and skills they need for better integration into local labour markets (Godfrey 2003;Garcia and Fares 2008b;ILO 2013;World Bank 2014). Policies to increase labour demand are influenced by the structure of the economy and shaped by state policies and regulation.…”

“…Secondly, across the continent young people suffer disproportionately from its development challenges. Higher rates of under-and unemployment and HIV/AIDS infection, amongst others, are a stark illustration that it is young people who face the brunt of disadvantage in social, economic and political exclusion (Abbink 2005;Garrett 2005;Garcia and Fares 2008b;Burton 2010). Young people globally continue to be almost three times more likely than adults to be unemployed, increasing to up to four times in urban areas (Kondylis and Manacorda 2008;Garcia and Fares 2008b;ILO 2013).…”

What Works for Africa's Poorest

“…The term 'youth bulge' has become synonymous with large youth populations in some policy circles, raising fears of large frustrated youth cohorts on national development outcomes (Urdal, 2008). Second, young Africans suffer disproportionately from development challenges, such as higher rates of under-employment and unemployment and HIV/AIDS infection (Garcia and Fares, 2008b;Garrett, 2005). The third reason that warrants specific programmatic attention for youth is that it constitutes such a critical period in the lifecycle.…”