Authors: APET Secretariat

This is the 4th post in a blog series to be published in 2021 by the Secretariat on behalf of the AU High Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) and the Calestous Juma Executive Dialogues (CJED)

Youth employment and entrepreneurship are crucial components for socio-economic development that can be utilized to address poverty and socio-economic disparities within the African continent. Africa’s policy and decision-makers have the responsibility of creating a conducive environment for secure human development index (HDI) at national, regional, and continental levels. However, the 2020 HDI report[1] revealed that Africa’s citizens need effective access to excellent healthcare, affordable education, and job opportunities. This can significantly improve life expectancy, sustain effective education and training, improve livelihood, and equitably distribute the gross national income per capita, in alignment to United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Unfortunately, so far, only Mauritius has been able to reach an HDI value of 0.804, followed by Seychelles. Other African countries such as Algeria, Tunisia, Botswana, Libya, South Africa, Egypt and Gabon have HDIs ranging between 0.703 and 0.796. Even though these HDIs are a step in the right direction, Africa still has to catch up to Europe, the United States, Canada and other continents that have their HDI ranging between 0.800 and 1.000. Thereby, significantly reduce inequality and address poverty across the continent.

The 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) is offering Africa’s youth innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities that can effectively address Africa’s inequality and poverty. However, there is a need for Africa’s youth to be empowered such that they are prepared to overcome the technology skills shortages and competencies among the millennials[2] entering the job market through transformative entrepreneurship and innovation.[3] Notably, Africa remains a relatively youthful continent, with a median age of about 19 years. The median is only expected to reach about 25 years in 2046. As such, young people will continually constitute about half of Africa’s population of several countries across the continent for the next three to five decades.[4] Therefore, the African Union High-Level Panel on Innovation and Emerging Technologies (APET) believes that 4IR enabled innovation and entrepreneurship can significantly address Africa’s high youth unemployment and education system.[5]

Notably, Africa’s 4IR advancement will be enabled by infrastructural investment in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This is because ICT enables entrepreneurial and innovation opportunities for the youth. Furthermore, it will also be enabled by improved regulatory and policy frameworks so to increase labour absorption and job creation strategies. Therefore, addressing the ICT infrastructure will bring career, innovative, and entrepreneurial opportunities for Africa’s youth. Thus, there is a call for ICT public and private sector service providers to facilitate internet and broadband accessibility and affordability across the continent. Such efforts will increase 4IR technology illiteracy challenges across the continent and equip the youth with quality technological infrastructure

4IR-linked technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, digital technologies, and 3D printing are disruptive technologies transforming socio-economic development systems. This transformation growth rate is anticipated to be exponential, factorial, and unpredictable. Therefore, to sufficiently prepare, African countries will need to reskill their youth in order to promote entrepreneurship and create job opportunities. Furthermore, the mastery of ICT applications and tools can significantly enable[6] mobile technologies. In addition, such efforts can develop new business models, micro‐markets, and e-commerce platforms for Africa’s youth entrepreneurs and innovators. As such, digital technology platforms can help youth promote their products, link with local and international manufacturers, and access global markets.

In conclusion, for the increased absorption of 4IR technologies to enable youth’s innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation, African governments and the private sector are encouraged to equip youth with ICT skills and infrastructure. For instance, Rwanda is promoting for one-laptop-computer-per-child policy for primary school learners. Furthermore, public-private partnership can also enable cost-effective and accessible internet connection and broadband. Additionally, African governments are encouraged to create enabling evidence-based ICT policies aimed at empowering Africa’s youth for innovation. Undeniably, the world is predominantly becoming a digital-based economy, dominated by digital financial services. Consequently, this leads to an increased dependency on ICT and 4IR-enabled technologies. Thus, the African continent ought to alleviate youth computer and technology illiteracy, secure 4IR technology-driven workforce, and invest in the 4IR technology for robust socio-economic development. Consequently, Africa can accomplish the socio-economic development aspirations of African Union’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024) and Agenda 2063.

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[1] United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 2020 Human Development Reports. Accessed on January 31, 2021. http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/latest-human-development-index-ranking.

[2] Michael Dimock. Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins. Pew Research Center. January 17, 2019. Accessed on January 31, 2021 https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/.

[3]African Union Commission. The African Youth Charter, Accessed January 31, 2021, https://au.int/en/treaties/african-youth-charter.

[4] https://www.unicef-irc.org/article/1060-youth-of-africa-unemployment-social-cohesion-and-political-instability.html.

[5] Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Africa’s first challenge: the youth bulge stuck in ‘waithood’. Latest News 10 July, 2019. Accessed January 31, 2021. https://mo.ibrahim.foundation/news/2019/africas-first-challenge-youth-bulge-stuck-waithood

[6] https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/egms/docs/2013/ict/innovation-technology-youth.pdf.