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Our states in Africa must invest heavily into the infrastructure of the country/nation because it is KEY to transformation.... Education, healthcare, energy, and digitalisation, green economy. The construction sector, won't be left out since it also is one of the areas where significant employment can be generated to curb the employment challenges.

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https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-industries-without-smokestacks-can-address-africas-youth-unemployment-crisis/

If you have read the paper, you would see that one of the solutions that were put forward by the professor is promoting the so-called “Industries without Smokestacks” such as high-value agriculture, tourism, ICT, and creative industries. This article goes in-depth explaining how that can be done.

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By some estimates, Africa's working-age population will grow by approximately 450 million people-about 3 percent per annum-between 2015 and 2035. By 2050, Africa will have 362 million young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years old. ¹ Where will the region find the jobs for such a rapidly growing young population? In the past, the answer has been industry. Historically, industry has led to structural change-the movement of workers from lower to higher productivity employment. In East Asia, large numbers of workers leaving agriculture moved into manufacturing, driving growth, job creation, and poverty reduction.

In contrast, Africa has deindustrialized. Today, its share of global manufacturing is smaller than in 1980 and the share of manufacturing in GDP is less than half of the average for all developing countries. As a result, structural change in Africa looks very different from East Asia. In Africa, three-quarters of new entrants to the labor market will work in self-employment or in microenterprises. Some 20 percent will work for wages in the service sector, and only about 4 to 5 percent will find a wage-paying job in industry. If these trends continue, only about 100 million of the 450 million Africans expected to reach working age over the next two decades can hope to find decent work. The growing population of more educated and urbanized youth encountering few jobs is a crisis in the making.

Why has Africa failed to industrialize? First, the success of East Asia as a manufacturing center means that-unlike when that region broke into global markets-African industry faces a highly productive, relatively low wage competitor. Second, industry has declined as a share of output and employment at all levels of development over the past four decades, suggesting that Africa may not be able to rely on industry to lead structural change to the extent that it did in East Asia. Third, the growth of global value chains (GVCs) brings both opportunities and challenges. GVCs offer the opportunity to specialize in a limited set of tasks suited to a country's capabilities, but they place a strong premium on trade logistics, an area in which Africa's economies have not excelled. Finally, the share of natural capital in Africa's aggregate wealth is the second-highest in the world, and resource-abundant economies face strong headwinds in industrializing.

The same forces that limit Africa's opportunities in industry, however, are also creating a growing number of tradable services-such as tourism and remote office services-and agribusinesses- including horticulture-that share many characteristics with manufacturing, especially the capacity to create better jobs. Like manufacturing, they benefit from productivity growth, scale, and agglomeration economies. These "industries without smokestacks" are among Africa's most dynamic sectors of economies. Information and communications technology (ICT) based services, tourism, and transport are outpacing the growth of manufacturing in many African countries. Between 1998 and 2015, Africa's services exports grew more than six times faster than merchandise exports. Tourism alone accounts for at least 3 percent of sub-Saharan Africa's GDP.

Between 2002 and 2015 exports of tradable services and agri-business increased as a share of non-mineral exports by an average of 58 percent. High value agricultural exports account for an increasing share of Africa's overall exports, and Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, and South Africa have succeeded in breaking into GVCs in horticulture. Horticultural exports from Senegal to Europe have grown rapidly, averaging 20 percent per year. Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa have growing ICT-based services sectors, while transit trade is Tanzania's second largest foreign exchange earner.

Changing prospects for manufacturing and the growing relevance of industries without smokestacks may make us rethink the sources of structural change in Africa.

Research by Brookings and the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research gives some, but not full, insight into the role industries without smokestacks can play in generating better jobs for Africans. That is largely because our statistics are not well adapted to the task. For example, the tourism sector is made up of several different industries including but not limited to accommodation, food and beverage, transportation, and culture, sports, and recreational services. Thus, while it is possible to track tourist arrivals, estimates of their direct and indirect effect on output and employment are necessarily imprecise. Similar considerations apply to agri-business, horticulture, and tradable services. Better statistics on these industries without smokestacks are a must.

Nevertheless, country-level data suggest that the employment impact of industries without smokestacks can be considerable. In South Africa, tourism creates 680,000 jobs, including 36 percent of jobs in the food and beverage industry. In Tanzania, tourism accounts for approximately 14 percent of GDP, and about 3.2 percent of total employment, and in Ethiopia, the travel and tourism sector contributes about 11.3 percent of GDP and 9.8 percent of employment. Horticulture generates jobs for rural laborers and unskilled or semi-skilled processing factory workers. Kenya's cut flower industry employs between 40,000 and 70,000 workers, while in Ethiopia flower exports generate more than 180,000 jobs. In South Africa fruit packing alone employs about 300,000 workers.

Changing prospects for manufacturing and the growing relevance of industries without smokestacks may make us rethink the sources of structural change in Africa. The region's resource endowments suggest that many of the region's internationally competitive industries are likely to be industries without smokestacks. The good news is that because tradable services, agro-industry, and horticulture share many firm characteristics with manufacturing, policies designed to promote the growth of manufacturing-such as improving trade logistics, investing in infrastructure and skills, and promoting exports- apply equally to tradable services and agri-business. The key to solving the employment problem is to develop an effective strategy for structural change that spans industries with and without smokestacks. We set out some elements of that strategy in a new book, Industries Without Smokestacks: Industrialization in Africa Reconsidered (OUP, 2018), available on open access. ² While much of the discussion has focused on the supply side of the labor market in Africa, less emphasis has been given to the demand side. Promoting industries without smokestacks offers a complementary demand-side approach to address the continent's jobs crisis.

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How industries without smokestacks can address Africa's youth unemployment crisis

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By some estimates, Africa's working-age population will grow by approximately 450 million people-about 3 percent per annum-between 2015 and 2035. By 2050, Africa will have 362 million young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years old. 1 Where will the region find the jobs for such a rapidly growing young population?

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First-hand account of youth unemployment challenges in Africa

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First-hand account of youth unemployment challenges in Africa

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Hi All, sharing here a video from DW that brings to light the youth enemployment challenges in Africa. The video shows the story of young graduates, entrepreneurs, and unemployed in South Africa and Uganda and does so through heartfelt and inspiring interviews with the young. It offers the interviewees' perspective on challenges associated with capital accumulation, acquiring the necessary skills for employment, inclusion of women, high taxes and interests, government inaction and also talks about some grassroot NGOs aimed at educating and helping the youth.
Also, relating to the immigration and talent leaving their home country topics we discussed on Friday, the video ends with an interview of a young and famous Kenyan singer and artist who graduated in Boston, US and decided to pursue opportunities and develop back home.

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I found this to be very interesting.

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This is a GIZ project AFRIKA KOMMT! which offers young managers from Africa the chance to have an (up to 12 months) internship in leading German companies (Bayer AG, Volkswagen AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, SAP SE, Siemens Healthineers GmbH etc.) and
gain insights into operations and management methods at the participating companies.

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ON BEHALF OF THE INITIATIVE

Contact
Christiane Oermann
christiane.oermann@giz.de

Since 2008, leading German companies have been demonstrating their commitment to Africa with the AFRIKA KOMMT! initiative, which offers young managers from Africa the chance to gain insights into operations and management methods at the participating companies. During the 12-month programme, both sides can forge important contacts for sustained and successful economic cooperation.

In 2008, nineteen leading German companies launched a joint initiative called AFRIKA KOMMT! to train young managers from sub-Saharan Africa. As of 2019, the programme invites young professionals from all African countries to apply. The programme offers training opportunities for young qualified experts and managers, who spend eight months in German companies as part of an internship. In this way, companies invest in expanding their cooperation with African countries. At the same time, they benefit from the country-specific knowledge of highly motivated young managers, who bring with them new approaches and insights. They also support the awareness for diversity in the companies.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is implementing the programme on behalf of the private-sector initiative. The federal enterprise is an ideal partner for the initiative due to its many years of experience with different manager programmes and its contacts and infrastructure in Germany and Africa. The programme is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office and the German embassies in Africa.

Since 2008, leading German companies have been demonstrating their commitment to Africa with the AFRIKA KOMMT! initiative, which offers young managers from Africa the chance to gain insights into operations and management methods at the participating companies. During the 12-month programme, both sides can forge important contacts for sustained and successful economic cooperation.

In 2008, nineteen leading German companies launched a joint initiative called AFRIKA KOMMT! to train young managers from sub-Saharan Africa. As of 2019, the programme invites young professionals from all African countries to apply. The programme offers training opportunities for young qualified experts and managers, who spend eight months in German companies as part of an internship. In this way, companies invest in expanding their cooperation with African countries. At the same time, they benefit from the country-specific knowledge of highly motivated young managers, who bring with them new approaches and insights. They also support the awareness for diversity in the companies.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is implementing the programme on behalf of the private-sector initiative. The federal enterprise is an ideal partner for the initiative due to its many years of experience with different manager programmes and its contacts and infrastructure in Germany and Africa. The programme is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office and the German embassies in Africa.

Initiative with great appeal

AFRIKA KOMMT! is in great demand. This has become particularly clear in the application and selection phase: up to 6,000 young professionals apply each programme year for the 35 to 45 available places. Crucial for the mutual benefit of both parties is the selection of suitable candidates. GIZ organises the selection process, but the partner companies also play a key role by defining the profile of their ideal candidates and selecting the final participants during a comprehensive Assessment Centre in Africa.

The selected experts and managers attend a German course in Africa and then deepen their language skills in an intensive course after arriving in Germany. Three international management training courses organised by GIZ supplement the practical phase in the companies and provide participants with theoretical and practical foundations in the areas of project management, intercultural competence, conflict management and leadership. The participants are directly involved in the work processes at the companies. GIZ supports and advises all participants on personal and technical matters during their stay in Germany and the training period in their respective companies.

Initiative with great appeal

AFRIKA KOMMT! is in great demand. This has become particularly clear in the application and selection phase: up to 6,000 young professionals apply each programme year for the 35 to 45 available places. Crucial for the mutual benefit of both parties is the selection of suitable candidates. GIZ organises the selection process, but the partner companies also play a key role by defining the profile of their ideal candidates and selecting the final participants during a comprehensive Assessment Centre in Africa.

The selected experts and managers attend a German course in Africa and then deepen their language skills in an intensive course after arriving in Germany. Three international management training courses organised by GIZ supplement the practical phase in the companies and provide participants with theoretical and practical foundations in the areas of project management, intercultural competence, conflict management and leadership. The participants are directly involved in the work processes at the companies. GIZ supports and advises all participants on personal and technical matters during their stay in Germany and the training period in their respective companies.

Building bridges for German-African economic cooperation

After completing the programme, the young managers return to their home countries and become members of the alumni network. Programme alumni can exchange ideas, while future participants can get advice and find support. The alumni become multipliers in their home country; by passing on their positive experiences with German culture and German companies, they can help shape views in their country.

But the alumni are also something more. With their cultural and corporate experience, German language skills and contacts in Germany, they are key contacts for German companies who would like to expand their activities in Africa. More than two-thirds of participants from last year's programme were employed directly by their partner company and now work at these companies' branch offices in Africa. For example, 14 alumni now work in Africa at Robert Bosch GmbH, one of the founding companies of AFRIKA KOMMT!. Some of the alumni were able to open new branch offices in their home countries for the partner companies. Patrick Okello, for example, opened the first office for ANDREAS STIHL GmbH & Co. KG in Eastern Africa. Other alumni, such as Lucy Wanjiku Mutinda from Kenya, have been able to develop and implement their own business ideas through participation in the programme. Her company, Ecocycle Ltd., has more than 20 employees and installs small, fully organic sewage treatment plants for wastewater processing that were developed by a company from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany.

Last updated: November 2019

Building bridges for German-African economic cooperation

After completing the programme, the young managers return to their home countries and become members of the alumni network. Programme alumni can exchange ideas, while future participants can get advice and find support. The alumni become multipliers in their home country; by passing on their positive experiences with German culture and German companies, they can help shape views in their country.

But the alumni are also something more. With their cultural and corporate experience, German language skills and contacts in Germany, they are key contacts for German companies who would like to expand their activities in Africa. More than two-thirds of participants from last year's programme were employed directly by their partner company and now work at these companies' branch offices in Africa. For example, 14 alumni now work in Africa at Robert Bosch GmbH, one of the founding companies of AFRIKA KOMMT!. Some of the alumni were able to open new branch offices in their home countries for the partner companies. Patrick Okello, for example, opened the first office for ANDREAS STIHL GmbH & Co. KG in Eastern Africa. Other alumni, such as Lucy Wanjiku Mutinda from Kenya, have been able to develop and implement their own business ideas through participation in the programme. Her company, Ecocycle Ltd., has more than 20 employees and installs small, fully organic sewage treatment plants for wastewater processing that were developed by a company from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany.

Last updated: November 2019

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AFRIKA KOMMT! (Africa is coming!) - a training programme for young managers

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ON BEHALF OF THE INITIATIVE Contact Christiane Oermann christiane.oermann@giz.de In 2008, nineteen leading German companies launched a joint initiative called AFRIKA KOMMT! to train young managers from sub-Saharan Africa. As of 2019, the programme invites young professionals from all African countries to apply.

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Outlook of Africa's performance for 2022

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Outlook of Africa's performance for 2022

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This report prepared by UNCTAD provides a good outlook about economic performance in 2021 and relevant trends for 2022. It is definitely an interesting summary of the striving economies and shared difficulties of the continent in its quest for economic development: https://unctad.org/press-material/facts-and-figures-7

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Inclusive growth is growth that reduces poverty and inequality Poverty levels declined in most African countries: On average, the proportion of African households with a consumption level below the 1.9$/day poverty line declined from 40% in 2010 to 34% in 2019.

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How Africa could one day rival China | The Economist

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I found this Video is very interesting and worthy to share with you. It talked about education to girls, smart agriculture, embrace technology development and better governance could be the receipt for African countries development and to thrive in the near future.

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How Africa could one day rival China | The Economist

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Hello All!
I am sharing the OECD infographic collection of Africa’s Development Dynamics 2021 - Digital Transformation for Quality Jobs (EN). The presented insights allow a better understanding of the challenges in Africa as a whole; however, the stats by region help to pinpoint specific sectors that require special attention.
Hope you find it interesting.

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Africa's Development Dynamics 2021: Digital Transformation for Quality Jobs | en | OECD

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Data and research on education including skills, literacy, research, elementary schools, childhood learning, vocational training and PISA, PIACC and TALIS surveys., Africa's Development Dynamics uses lessons learned in the continent's five regions - Central, East, North, Southern and West Africa - to develop policy recommendations and share good practices.