A Speech: How to Increase Youths Chances of Finding Jobs and Related Opportunities in Africa by John Madayese (2018)

Galleh of Gambia has chosen a life of crime and hard drugs because he has not been able to secure jobs. Amaka in Nigeria has been looking for opportunities and she has been unsuccessful. She wonders why she hasn’t been able to meet up with her peers. Wamai of Kenya is giving up because he has been unable to find a job despite his M.Sc. degree and he is considering suicide. The list of the names of jobless young Africans continues and the situation is a heartbreaking one.

According to World Population Review in 2016, African population is estimated at 1.2 billion people, of that 420 million are youths between the ages of 15 -35 based on the report of African Development Bank Group (AfDB) on catalyzing youth opportunity in Africa in March 2016. The same report revealed that every single year, Africa welcomes into the labor market some 10 – 12 million people. Sadly, only 3.1 million people, that’s about 28% are able to find major job opportunities. 

In my home, Nigeria, some trading economics statistics reveal that unemployment rate is trending at 14.2% as at January 2018, higher than some West African countries like Sierra Leone (3%), Ghana (5.77%) and Ivory Coast (9.32%), although lower than the Gambia, which is higher at 29.69%. Nigeria aspires to be “the giant that it is”, in other ways different from population size. However, the reverse is the case. When you check her unemployment statistics, you find out that she is living far below her dreams and aspirations.

The Nigerian unemployment problem can be repeated for any other African country as these developing countries face similar challenges but in different measures. It appears that employment opportunities are not in sight, and where they are, graduates lack the right skills to utilize the opportunities around. This situation, if not addressed with necessary seriousness and urgency could lead to severe social and political upheavals.

I fundamentally believe that there are two major problems to finding these employment and related opportunities, of which I would proffer two corresponding solutions. The first is the problem of skills gaps and second, is the failure of the government to create enabling environments for job creations and sustainability.

There is a wide gap between education supply and market demands. As Mona Mourshed, a McKinsey alumnus puts it, “education and industry are living in parallel universes.” Education is no longer sufficient to prepare young people for better future opportunities in the industry. Virtually 50% of talent seekers complain that they can’t’ find the right skills in prospective talents, which reduces their chances of utilizing opportunities. These talents have been confined to the linear thinking process of “get a good grade, get into a great school and you will get good jobs”. Many youths ended up following this maxim blindly without acquiring relevant skills like leadership, entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, resilience, technology, absorptive capacity, etc. while still studying in the universities or polytechnics. This collection of individuals end up becoming liabilities to the industry. Who is to blame? The university curriculum, industry stakeholders, government or the young people?

African educational systems are not keeping up with the mega trends in the industry. The traditional job market is completely experiencing transformation in an unpredictable manner. Schools end up producing graduates who are “less useful” to the industry and this is a major tragedy. There is no longer a “perfect match” between university curriculums and the industry modus operandi. The great news is that educationists and industry stakeholders can create strong partnerships to design curriculums that are 50% in the university context and 50% in the industry context. This balance will create a different picture if the educational systems are transformed and overhauled to accommodate technologies and be abreast of some of the megatrends we see in the industry so that we can increase the chances of youths finding opportunities.

I will talk about the second part shortly before I finish my speech and it has to do with the government. Government creates jobs through fiscal spending and influence of business legislative and regulatory environment that encourages investment. In Africa, there is a problem of the creation of enabling environments for businesses to thrive and this is really hitting hard the easiness of finding and utilizing job opportunities for youths. Most African countries are part of the bottom 50 countries in terms of ease of doing business according to World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report for 2018. The reasons for these problems are poor business legislation and regulation and weak supportive monetary regime.

Through the creation of an enabling environment for businesses by the government, we are reinforcing the tool of entrepreneurship and innovation economy to create employment opportunities. The government should focus on establishing policies to boost major factors in the entrepreneurial ecosystems, such as regulations, markets, infrastructures, support, visibility, geographic location, innovation, financing, education, and culture. When jobs are created through ideas by people, more opportunities will open and youths will have greater chances to find opportunities to develop their career and personal lives.

Thank You Very Much!!!

John Madayese (2018), Founder P&O Africa

Note: Names used are fictitious and the source of images used is Google.