The snivel of the African youth

In recent times, Africa has been at the forefront of a democratic revitalisation, as many nations now welcome a free and open political system.  

The pattern of democracy is catching on throughout the continent, and the world is beginning to take notice.

However, to retain a truly inclusive democratic society, everyone must be involved in the political process, but in many African nations,  a large segment of the population remains marginalised, to be precise the youth. 

It is the dream of all African youth to develop and grow on their own but this is always not so. For the past 57 years that Ghana attained independence, the youth of today have been the driving force of this country, Ghana. 

What skills are important?

According to research, certain types of skills determine whether young people will be able to find work, contribute to their local and national economies, and live up to their individual developmental and earning potentials: 

• Foundation skills or basic literacy and numeracy skills developed during primary school that permit people to get jobs that pay enough to meet daily needs. These skills are a prerequisite to further training and skill development, without which the possibilities of attaining gainful employment or participating in entrepreneurial activities are reduced. 

• Transferrable skills, such as analysis, communication, problem solving, creativity, and leadership that can be transferred and adapted to different environments. Staying in school helps develop these skills.

• Technical and vocation skills, in areas such as agriculture, computers, or carpentry, can be gained through work-placement programs or apprenticeships. But these skills rely on the first two skill sets described above. 

Recent reports from UNESCO and the International Labour Organisation have recommended that governments, the private sector and international donors pursue integrated, comprehensive policies and strategies that create jobs for young people and improve the transition between school and work. 

Some strategies include policies to improve labor standards and social protection for youth, such as acceptable wages and work conditions; and programmes that target specific youth populations, such as the disadvantaged young women, to boost their skills and employability. 

Why Africa’s youth matters

Patriotism comes naturally to young people, but they also respond early to the call of Internationalism. When the youth of the country are not given the available skills, education and support they need in the country, they turn to internationalism. That is, they try to live with the outside world instead of concentrating on the development of their own country. 

Also, the youth aspire for entrepreneurship rather than conventional employment. These actions and aspirations by the youth leads to the development of the country since entrepreneurs make up for the deprivation and the poor background of the poor and by so doing, it leads to development.

Young people of Ghana have the energy to try out things and the patience to learn from their mistakes. They are full of vibrant ideas, when properly motivated and sufficiently guided, they will succeed in their lives. These things can also be ensured when the government takes a very good attention towards the activities of the youth who are the strong forces in social movements.

The world is experiencing an exceptional increase in the youth population.  Africa’s large youth population is seen by many as a potential strength of the continent. According to the Atlantic Council, for example, Africa’s youth bulge “reinforces the opportunity for economic growth that is gaining attention and foreign investment — a reality that other emerging regional and global powers, including China, India, Brazil and Turkey, have already begun to seize.

The challenge to African policy makers is how to harness young people’s desire for change that has the potential to translate into positive outcomes. The consequences of not fully developing and harnessing youth’s potential could be dire, including significant economic losses, armed conflict, and political and social upheaval and instability.

The key recommendation is, therefore, to focus on harnessing the potential of African youth to foster economic development through their participation in the labour market and strategies to improve their living standards generally.

 The main strategies proposed include:

•Improving the investment climate by reducing the cost of doing business so as to create jobs for the youth.

•Expanding infrastructure, especially in rural areas, to boost employment opportunities for the youth.

Challenging Issues

Despite the elevated awareness of the challenges confronting Africa’s youth, several African countries still do not seem to have developed comprehensive and effective policies to deal with the issues facing this large and growing segment of the African population or to have in place a means to assess the progress made.

Economic Issues

The economic issues concern how to deal with the immense youth unemployment problem using an integrated approach, including the promotion of economic growth, improving access to high quality education and implementing various labour market policies. A critical implication of youth employment policies is that jobs would be available for those with the right education, skills and training. Thus, national policies should foster increased and sustained economic growth to boost the demand for labour and employment, especially for the youth. Even when jobs are available, the youth must have the requisite skills to take advantage of the opportunities. 

Self-employment

Given the lack of jobs for the youth in the formal sector, self-employment could yield tremendous benefits, especially with the high levels of underemployment in the informal sector. There should be policies to provide microcredit and start-up loans to young entrepreneurs. The World Bank (2007 report) argues that entrepreneurial projects tend to have positive short-term effects on youth employment, even though high drop-out rates and business failures are also rampant. 

Political and Social Issues

In most African countries, the age hierarchy embodied in the culture has meant that there are limited opportunities for the  youth to express themselves and to meaningfully participate in national, social and political discourse. A broad-based participation of the citizenry, including the youth, will enhance good governance in addition to improving democracy. African governments are making efforts to provide for the full participation of the youth in the political process through different channels of representation, including the creation of national youth councils, regional youth advocacy groups, among others. 

In a nutshell, Africa still has a long way to go to secure youth rights and remove barriers for younger generation. Africa’s most pressing issues, such as unemployment, lack of education, and the outbreak of diseases, seem to have the greatest impact on its young people.  African nations must continue to work alongside international partners to develop creative initiatives and programmes that will involve the youth and utilise technology to interact with all segments of the population.  

The writer is  a Public Relations Officer of the  Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry