World Bank to Host Discussion on Youth Employment

WASHINGTON - This month, the World Bank, in collaboration with Africa Gathering, will host a series of brainstorming sessions on youth employment in Africa.  The sessions will be held in Ghana, Kenya and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the following dates:

Friday, April 20 – Accra, Ghana; Tuesday, April 24 – Nairobi, Kenya;

Friday, April 27 – Kinshasa, DRC.

“We want to hear from Africa’s young people themselves about how we can do more to create good paying jobs,” said the World Bank’s Chief Economist for Africa Shanta Devarajan. “These sessions are vital to hear directly from them.” 

The World Bank is creating a report on youth employment in Africa, where input from the continent’s youth is paramount.  The brainstorming sessions will be held to collect real-time feedback, which will be reviewed and highlighted in the report.  “Who better to offer solutions to youth employment than those who are most greatly impacted,” Devarajan said. 

There are an estimated 7-10 million young people seeking employment every year in Africa.  Even countries that are reducing poverty at a rapid rate, such as Ethiopia, have not solved the youth employment challenge.  If Africa’s youth cannot find productive jobs, the continent will not only fail to sustain growth and poverty reduction, it risks periods of civil unrest—as experienced in the Middle East and North Africa recently—because the expectations of these young people, fueled by growth and globalization, will be unfulfilled.

Africa Gathering (AG) draws inspiration from the traditional, symbolic African Baobab tree, the place where people can gather to share knowledge, exchange ideas and learn from each other. Under AG’s tree all speak openly, from activators to innovators, from artists to technologists.