More than 350 stakeholders converged on Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt to participate in the 2019 African Economic Conference with this year’s focus on jobs, skills and capacity development for Africa’s youth.
The African Economic Conference 2019 brought together researchers, youth representatives, business leaders, policymakers and media representatives from Africa and around the world to develop policies and strategies that can promote inclusive growth and job creation in the region.
The three-day conference discussed initiatives for boosting entrepreneurship, improving the business ecosystem, access to capital and better infrastructure – all to create decent jobs for the continent’s unemployed and under-employed youth. Africa must work as one to turn the continent’s ‘youth bulge’ into opportunities, delegates at the closing of the 2019 African Economic Conference said on Wednesday.
“At the African Development Bank, we recognize that addressing the problem is not an easy task that a single organization or country could accomplish alone. It needs a concerted effort. It needs governments to work together and share experiences; international organizations to join hands, the private sector to work with policymakers, the youth to voice their concerns, and researchers to share policy-relevant evidence that will inform policies,” the Director of Macroeconomic Forecasting and Research at the African Development Bank, Hanan Morsy said while underscoring the importance of gainful and decent employment for the bulge of African youths seeking jobs or keen to set up their own businesses.
“We have to anticipate and leverage the shift that we know are going to happen in terms of our demography, our climate and our people’s movements and together we can reimagine a different future of Africa,” Lusigi said while she urged decision-makers to prepare for a changing demography and the impacts of a changing climate to create a brighter future for the continent.
“We have to anticipate and leverage the shift that we know are going to happen in terms of our demography, our climate and our people’s movements and together we can reimagine a different future of Africa,” Lusigi cited.
The Director of Macroeconomics and Governance Division at the ECA, Adam Elhiraika urged young people to work across borders and contribute to integration of the continent at regional and national levels. “Creating one Africa is the most important step we can take to create better opportunities for all Africans. The opportunities we had here is just the beginning for all of you to influence policy makers and influence ideas and actions by youths to help create jobs for Africans. It is a unique opportunity,” he said.
