Empowering Youth for Agricultural transformation

Africa is the world’s youngest continent with 600 million people, 65% of its population, aged below 25 years. While there has been strong economic growth averaging 5.03% between 2004 and 2014, this growth has not always been pro-poor, nor has it led to a commensurate increase in jobs. With the rising population of youth, 11 million of whom join the labor market each year, and job creation that cannot absorb this supply, Africa now faces the problem of a “double employment crisis” (Ameyaw & Maiga, 2015). The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that only 16 million of the 73 million jobs created in Africa between 2000 and 2008 were filled by youth. Seventy-two percent of youth in Africa are unemployed or vulnerably employed (Young Africa Works Report, 2017). Youth unemployment rates are double those of adult unemployment in most countries (African Economic Outlook, 2015).