The search for employment
is a daily struggle for 24-year-old Sherrif Mohamed. He's one of
millions of young unemployed Africans whose lives have stalled, despite
economic growth across the continent.
Sherrif lives in Egypt,
where until recently he was pursuing a university education. The
revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak forced him out of school and into a
job market, which has continued to worsen. The uprising kept tourists
away and investors out -- and Egypt is yet to recover.
Around 30% of 18 to
29-year-olds are now out of work -- a figure that's echoed across
Africa. Sherrif's lack of a qualification narrows his employment
prospects further.
"Now there are no jobs
whatsoever," he said. "I've tried working in restaurants, coffee shops,
clothing stores and lately worked at my brother's store. But the wages
are not sustainable at all."
Thousands of miles away
in Kenya, more disillusioned young adults walk the corridors of the
University of Nairobi. Unlike Sherrif, they'll get to complete their
studies and enter the job market as skilled professionals. But with
Kenya's youth unemployment rate standing at 40%, they feel their
prospects of work are equally slim.
Eunice Kilonzo is a
promising student on the campus. She said: "I'm competing with around
700 people to get the same job, probably in the same place. So the
chance of getting a job is pretty thin."
She places the blame
firmly at the feet of her government. Eunice feels the job market will
not improve in line with economic growth until the education system is
revamped.
"If the market is way
beyond your education level, there won't be productivity. We need to
change everything about the education system. I cannot go into the
library and study a book that was published in 1969. We are in 2012."
For Eunice and Sherriff, economic forecasts make for irrelevant reading.
Africa's economy is expected to grow by 4.5% this year and by 4.8% the
next, and its youth population is set to double by 2045, according to
the African Economic Outlook report. But the headlines that herald a burgeoning economy aren't translating into the jobs they need.
If jobless growth continues, they believe young Africans will continue
to find themselves unemployed or, more frequently, underemployed in
informal jobs.
World Bank Chief
Economist Shantayanan Devarajan agrees that creating employment is the
biggest hurdle that African nations will have to overcome.
"In low income African
countries people can't afford to be unemployed. They are working in the
informal sector with very low earnings and very low productivity.
"One reason for that low productivity is that these people have had very little education.
"On the other hand it's a
huge opportunity because we can train them and can improve the quality
of education. The other point is the rest of the world is aging, so
Africa will become the place with all the young people."
The African Economic
Outlook report also speaks of the importance of unlocking the potential
offered by the region's youth. But it says the continent must modernize
its industries and develop sustainable private sectors, in order to do
so.
While, such harsh
warnings are not relevant for all of Africa, the sentiment behind them
is important. Devarajan agrees that private firms could provide an
important source of jobs for the young and says African businessmen are
taking advantage of the opportunities available now.
"Macroeconomic policies in Africa have improved inexorably in the last 10 to 15 years," he added.
"We've had commodity
price booms in the past but those haven't translated to this kind of
sustained growth before. And that means there is hope for a better
future for Africa. This is not hype, this is real."
Source: CNN
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