FIGHT BUREAUCRACY TO BOOST CREATION OF JOBS

Youth in Africa almost invariably hope to get salaried jobs after graduating from colleges and universities. But even the few who venture into self-employment – usually doing so by starting income-generating activities of their own – also find it difficult to progress much, partly due to unmitigated bureaucracy.

According to a recent United Nations report, one-third of Africa’s 420 million youth aged 15 to 35 are currently unemployed.

Experts who attended a meeting organised by the UN Economic Commission for Africa concluded that African governments are the main cause of their own economic failures.

The experts observed that youth who do not seek salaried jobs still find it difficult to establish companies due to really unnecessary bureaucratic requirements.

Barriers which prevent African youth from establishing income-generating activities include lack of financing, lengthy numerous procedures and predatory taxation systems, including those for startups.

Participants suggested that African governments should include in their educational curricula action-oriented entrepreneurship modules for secondary and technical schools, as well as universities. This would help potential entrepreneurs to identify financial help schemes, including grant schemes for innovative ideas with multiplier effects.

Evidently, Africa is the next development frontier, and its youth will be the main drivers of hopes for a new, more prosperous continent. However, another main challenge is that Africa’s youthful population is growing rapidly, projected to double to over 830 million by 2050 – with no viable plan for matching creation of jobs.

While 10 to 12 million youth enter the workforce in Africa annually, only around thee million salaried jobs are created.

Going forward, it is now the right time for African governments to ensure that they support youth’s economic activities, as doing so will help to promote the creation of jobs, poverty reduction and overall prosperity all-round.

HOW AFRICA CAN INDUSTRIALISE

Africa has been struggling to industrialise over the decades, and the hurdles to this elusive endeavour are well documented. They include being left behind in technological advancement, widespread poverty, inadequate infrastructure, a long-standing skills gap and poor governance.

Although Africa has come a long way since the early days of independence in the 1960s, the continent is still lagging far behind the rest of the world as far as industrialisation is concerned. Indeed, many African countries, including Tanzania, were on the same economic development level as South Korea, Singapore and other so-called Asian Tigers, which are now economic powerhouses with global influence.

There have been many wasted opportunities along the way, but all is not lost. Africa can industrialise and catch up with other continents, although this will take time.

To industrialise, African countries must put in place favourable investment environments and invest heavily in education and infrastructure development, among other requirements. There are no shortcuts.