The Year of New Crises for Africa’s Youth

The document highlights a critical gap between the growing youth population in Africa and the creation of formal jobs, noting that only three million formal jobs are created annually against 10-12 million new entrants. It argues that structural hurdles—including poor education quality, lack of infrastructure for SMEs, and non-recognition of tertiary qualifications across borders—perpetuate youth unemployment and drive irregular migration to Europe. While citing positive regional examples in agro-processing, tourism, and tech hubs, the author calls for long-term sustainable policies and a shift in AU-EU relations toward legal circular migration pathways rather than a primary focus on security.

• Africa is experiencing a significant demographic shift, with the proportion of the global population under 25 living in Africa expected to rise from 19% (226 million) in 2015 to 42% by 2030.
• There is a severe deficit in formal job creation across the continent; the African Development Bank reports that only three million formal jobs are created annually, while 10-12 million youth enter the job market.
• In South Africa, government supply-side interventions—including the 2011 National Treasury Job Fund, employment subsidies, and improvements to technical colleges—have largely failed to provide adolescents with the skills required for the workplace, contributing to a youth unemployment rate of approximately 38% in 2017.
• AU-EU relations regarding youth have been hindered by a focus on security and migration over investment, leaving discussions on legal pathways and circular migration deadlocked despite the goals of the 2007 Joint African-European Strategy.
• Regional progress is evident in specific sectors and locations: SADC is working on the SADC Qualifications Framework for skills recognition; Lagos and Cape Town are emerging as technology hubs; and agro-processing partnerships are creating jobs in Malawi and Tanzania.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2017). The Year of New Crises for Africa’s Youth. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-year-of-new-crises-for-africas-youth/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. The Year of New Crises for Africa’s Youth. 2017. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-year-of-new-crises-for-africas-youth/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=The Year of New Crises for Africa’s Youth |date=13 December 2017 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/the-year-of-new-crises-for-africas-youth/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2017year, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{The Year of New Crises for Africa’s Youth}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2017}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/the-year-of-new-crises-for-africas-youth/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }