Digital Skills for Youth Employment in Africa
Charles HowardWhat is it?
This evidence synthesis paper, given how the digitalisation transformation is changing the world of work and the skills needed for employment, explores challenges and opportunities and presents recommendations of how to equip Africa’s youth for the future of work.
Digital advancements are changing the world of work. It is estimated that over the next ten years, 9 out of 10 jobs globally will require digital skills. This digital transformation has the potential to reverse the trend of ‘jobless growth’ in Africa, altering the structure of African economies by investing in digitally-enabled decent jobs. However, it is still unclear what the main challenges and opportunities are in this transformation and which skills are needed to capitalise on it. To find an answer to these questions, INCLUDE commissioned ThinkYoung, an international youth Think Tank, to critically engage with the key interrelated drivers and barriers to digital skills development and employment for young people in Africa. The conclusions are now published in the new evidence synthesis paper: Digital Skills for Youth Employment in Africa, which sheds light on the question of what digital skills actually are and what is needed to create an enabling policy environment for these.
HIGHLIGHTS
Many African youths entering the labour market currently do not have the required skills due to the following barriers that they face:
1. Unequal access to digital infrastructure
2. Unequal access to quality education
3. Underdeveloped and not up-to-date TVET
4. Gender barriers