South Africa: Realising Youth Futures by Delivering on Promised Goals

The document outlines four strategic priorities for South Africa to support its youth: easing economic restrictions to foster entrepreneurship and green jobs, bridging the skills-demand mismatch through 21st-century vocational training, addressing health inequalities and the mental health crisis via mobile and e-health services, and increasing meaningful youth representation in political decision-making processes.

• South Africa faces severe youth unemployment and economic instability, with unemployment for those aged 15–24 hovering between 40% and 50% from 2010 to 2022. Additionally, 34% of youth are categorized as not in education, employment or training (NEET), and nearly half of these NEETs have completed a matric certificate, indicating that matriculation is no longer a strong protective factor for employment.
• The transition to a low-carbon economy is identified as a primary opportunity for youth job creation, specifically in renewable energy (solar, wind, and tidal), the ocean economy, and regenerative agriculture. The document recommends that the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and other bodies target special training and work-placement initiatives in these 'green jobs'.
• The education system is described as dysfunctional and unequal due to the legacy of apartheid, resulting in a significant skills-demand mismatch. Findings indicate that many Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning and approximately 45% of young people fail to complete a secondary qualification.
• There is a critical need to expand 21st-century skills training, including digital literacy, programming, data analytics, and information security, to make youth more employable. The document suggests that the Department of Basic Education should partner with the private sector to update teacher training and improve infrastructure in underprivileged schools.
• South Africa's health system is highly unequal, with a growing mental health crisis among youth driven by poverty, crime, and generational trauma. Recommendations include recruiting out-of-school youth as peer psychosocial support counsellors and expanding no-fee or low-cost mobile and e-health services to rural and peri-urban areas.
• Youth participation in governance is currently viewed as tokenistic or occurring outside institutional processes. To move toward meaningful participation, the document proposes implementing youth quotas for Parliament, establishing youth advisory committees, and introducing age and term limits for political positions to create space for younger public servants.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2023). South Africa: Realising Youth Futures by Delivering on Promised Goals. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-realising-youth-futures-by-delivering-on-promised-goals/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. South Africa: Realising Youth Futures by Delivering on Promised Goals. 2023. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-realising-youth-futures-by-delivering-on-promised-goals/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=South Africa: Realising Youth Futures by Delivering on Promised Goals |date=13 December 2023 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-realising-youth-futures-by-delivering-on-promised-goals/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2023south, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{South Africa: Realising Youth Futures by Delivering on Promised Goals}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-realising-youth-futures-by-delivering-on-promised-goals/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }