Closing Africa’s Skills Gap and Fostering Innovation Through Technology
Africa — the world’s most youthful continent — is bursting with the energy, creativity and ingenuity of some 200 million young people between ages 15 and 24. Young people in Africa are better educated than previous generations. And they have greater access to technology and other world-class resources than ever before in history.
The technology revolution has taken the continent by storm. As internet connectivity and reliable power improves, young tech-savvy Africans are increasingly harnessing technology to develop software products, services, and platforms that are tailored to their local markets. Innovation hubs are sprouting up across Africa as young people seize opportunities to create homegrown solutions to some of the tremendous challenges faced in their communities.
Indeed, technology is fueling innovation and growth helping to bolster the global market competitiveness, create jobs and increase productivity in African nations.
Yet, beneath the optimism and hope for the future, a time bomb is slowing ticking in Africa. Africa’s working age population of 15-64 years is growing at a quickening pace. By 2040, the continent will host the world’s largest labor force with an estimated working age population of an astounding 1 billion.
Young people in Africa make up nearly 40 percent of today’s working-age population, yet 60 percent are unemployed. The World Bank estimates that some 11 million youth will enter Africa’s labor market every year for the next decade. Finding productive jobs for young people is critical to the continent’s future.
The fact remains that Sub-Saharan Africa faces a severe shortage of highly-skilled African talent, all the while top employers on the continent scramble to find qualified candidates to fill managerial jobs.
