Youth unemployment in Africa: challenges and opportunities

Abstract

The present policy brief explores the issues of youth unemployment and underemployment in Africa, identifying major challenges faced by young people and proposing strategic interventions for policymakers. In its review of the complexities of youth unemployment and underemployment, the brief explores the challenges faced by youth in Africa. The impacts of underemployment and unemployment loom large, with a significant portion of the continent’s young people facing precarious economic prospects. The relevant data reveal stark regional disparities, with youth unemployment rates exceeding 20 per cent in Southern and North Africa. This scenario is exacerbated by the prevalence of informal sector employment in West, Central and East Africa, driven in part by the absence of robust social safety nets.