Skills and Capacity building in Africa

Africa has lagged behind for several reasons in the race for economic development. However, the picture is not that dark for the future. I strongly believe, if we are able to exploit and develop the tremendous human resource of African Union, it is inevitable, as never before ever witnessed, to leap forward in the race for social and economic development.

What we need is “Skills Development and Capacity Building” in Africa. However, it is extremely essential to equip African youth with right skills which make them productive citizens of the society. Because, empowerment through the acquisition of skill is the only way in which those who have lagged behind in the race for social and economic development can catch up with the rest of the World and go beyond it.

Youth Unemployment in Africa

Youth in Arica make up 36.9% of the working age population but 59.5% of the total unemployed which is higher than world average (43.7%) reflecting serious labour demand deficiencies. The share of unemployed youth among the total unemployed can be high as 83% in Uganda, 68% in Zimbabwe (See table below)

EMPLOYED UNEMPLOYED OUT OF THE LABOUR FORCE

URBAN RURAL URBAN RURAL URBAN RURALSHIP DATABurundi 14.9 74 5.2 0 79.9 26Cote d Ivoire 31.5 73.6 5.1 .6 63.4 25.9Cameroon 25.9 55.6 12.5 3.1 61.6 41.3Ghana 16.2 18.7 36.7 27.4 47.1 53.9Guinea 40 92.2 16.2 2.4 43.8 5.4Kenya 36.2 17.2 8.4 2.6 55.4 80.2Mozambique 20.9 22.4 3.5 1.7 75.6 75.9Mauritania 17.6 37 5.4 1.2 77 61.8Malawi 14.5 21.2 2.6 1.1 82.9 77.7Nigeria 22.9 23.3 6.4 4.8 70.7 71.9Sierra Leone 22.9 56.6 67.9 38.2 9.2 9.2Sao Tome & Principe 30.5 36.3 3.2 5.4 66.4 58.3Uganda 25.6 16.3 2.3 .4 72.1 83.3Zambia 16.6 53.6 11.9 3.2 71.5 43.2SSA-14 (MEAN) 24 42.7 13.4 6.6 62.6 50.7SSA-14 (MEDIAN) 22.9 36.7 5.9 2.5 68.6 56.1LFS DATAEthiopia 40.7 81.1 10 1 49.3 17.9Madagascar 50.5 78.4 4.6 .7 44.9 20.9Tanzania 56 82.1 13.4 1.3 30.6 16.6

Employment Generation in Africa- Multi Sector Integrated Approach

Given the challenge faced by the youth in labour market in Africa, assuming that young people can achieve success in pursuing employment may require long term concerted actions that span wide range of macro economic policies and program. Indeed, success cannot be achieved through fragmented and isolated interventions. Policy response will require an integrated strategy for

1. Integrate rural development for job creation.2. Public private partnership for rural development in areas of water supply,

sewerage, roads, telecom, renewable energy, Skills development and health.

3. Institution building for market linkage between rural with urban markets.4. Skills development as per labour market requirements5. Micro economics policies which encourage entrepreneurship in

agriculture, food, processing and service sectors6. Intensive Public communication of schemes, procedures and success

stories

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1. Integrate rural development for job creation

Africa rural population is very high (76%) and substantial share of the labour force is attached to agriculture, making rural activity a major part of the equation of youth employment therefore Africa’s development agenda must focus on rural activities Non Farm (drinking water, sanitation, housing, roads, renewable energy, handicrafts ) and farm ( agriculture, irrigation, agri related marketing activities). African nations should customized and replicate Indian’s popular integrated rural schemes like “Bharat Navrinman Yojana, “PURA” (Providing Urban Amenity in Rural Areas), national rural health mission.

2. Public Private Partnership:

Conventional wisdom made us believe that most large global corporates have business heart and business mind, most NGOs have social heart and social mind, most government have wrong heart and wrong mind but we have to turn this conventional wisdom on its head and redefine a new age corporation ; an entity with social heart and business mind. A new age corporate through its business mind will focus on robust systems, individuals accountability, performance outcome measures, standards of execution excellence, technology and scale of operations to impact performance but with social heart will focus on integrated rural development in partnerships with African Union state governments to provide urban amenities in rural areas like housing, renewable energy, telecom, sanitation, roads, skill development centres, institutions to link rural markets with urban markets. The new age corporate with their management expertise & talent resources, in partnership with African Union State Governments can create “employability and inclusive growth”

NEW AGE ENTITIES – EMPLOYABILTY AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH

ORGANISATION HEART MINDNGO SOCIAL SOCIALGOVERNMENT WRONG WRONGCORPORATE BUSINESS BUSINESSNEW AGE CORPORATE SOCIAL BUSINESS

3. Institutional Linkage between rural urban Markets

In order to create jobs in rural Africa accelerate programmes are needed to build “Institutions in PPP mode which connect rural products& services to urban markets”. These institutions should standardize quality, define procurement norms, build brand and transport products and services eg. agri products produce from rural farmers and artisans (like juices, jams, ketchup, vegetable oil, mustard oil, apparel, shoe and handicrafts.) to urban Africa and rest of the world .

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These institutions should set franchise network in urban and semi urban areas to market produce of rural farmers and artisans to urban Africa, Europe.

4. Skills Development as per Labour Market Requirements

African Union in partnership with international donor agencies should set up skill centre (see diagram) to skill rural youth in (1) agriculture (2) Service Sectors. The skills standards should be global and skills certification should be assessed by industry association. The skills development organization should take end to end (integrated) accountability of

a) Community mobilization (counseling on skills for employability)b) Skill development and on the job apprenticeship.c) Assessment and Certification by industry associationd) Placement assistance and self employability

In order to promote skills for employability the African Union should promote “ALMS” (Achieve Labour Market Programme). There are two mail types of ALMS which should be customized for each country in the African Union.

5. Entrepreneurship:

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Measures to encourage self employment such as training and facilitate access to credit / grants and other business requirements.

Policy to promote wage employment through subsidized placement, employment assistance and vocational training.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

5. Entrepreneurship:Africa is rich in natural resources. If an African youth can be skilled and facilitated by government for entrepreneurship this itself will create foundation for growth and employability in Africa. Such entrepreneurship interventions should depend entirely on external funding from international donor agencies like USAID, UNDP, WB, and UNECA. Such “entrepreneurship intervention” should have elements targeted at helping young people to start their own business combined with elements of skills development and on the job mentoring/ coaching in domain areas like writing projects reports, conducting market feasibility studies, counseling on legal requirements, sales and marketing, access to credit / start up loans

The energy, skills and aspiration of young people are invaluable assets that no African Union country can afford to squander, helping youth to realize their full potential by gaining access to employment is a precondition to poverty eradication, sustainable development and ever lasting peace.

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