Training young people for jobs: insights from 9 African countries on what’s missing
Research across nine African nations indicates that youth employment programs are largely failing due to poor targeting, insufficient funding, and a lack of connection to employer needs. Experts argue that these initiatives must be integrated into broader economic strategies rather than operating as isolated projects.
Why it matters
Addressing youth unemployment is essential for economic stability and realizing the 'demographic dividend' in developing economies.
Programmes designed to get young people to work fail because they are small-scale and not properly targeted. Abubakar Mamman via Pexels Training young people for jobs: insights from 9 African countries on what’s missing Published: July 13, 2026 9:44am EDT https://theconversation.com/training-young-people-for-jobs-insights-from-9-african-countries-on-whats-missing-287075 https://theconversation.com/training-young-people-for-jobs-insights-from-9-african-countries-on-whats-missing-287075 Link copied Share article Share article
Copy link Email Bluesky Facebook WhatsApp Messenger LinkedIn X (Twitter) Print article
Africa’s young population is often described as a demographic dividend: a potential economic advantage if young people can gain the skills and jobs needed to contribute productively. But for many young people, that promise is slipping away. They leave school or training and enter labour markets where formal jobs are scarce and public programmes too often miss the people who need them most.
Too many programmes are underfunded, weakly targeted and disconnected from employers.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in