Once upon a time — that was the way stories, folklores or folktales began — immediately young people graduated from higher institutions, they had jobs waiting for them.
At least that was what my father told me. However, these days, the story is unfortunately not the same. Unemployment rates in Africa is high, and the number of African youths are higher than ever, it appears the figures keep increasing and there seems to be no help insight. In addition to the growing numbers, the world where we live evolves quickly and is still evolving, thanks to technology.
As a young person myself, I have asked: Why is unemployment rate so high? Why do we have more people than jobs or sources of income? Also how can the education space provide skills needed to fit into this evolving world? These I believe are questions that are critical to the future of work in Africa.
Enhancing skills which is part of what an average youth must imbibe, is a powerful tool in development. It also provides the opportunity and knowledge needed to develop and strengthen necessary attributes needed to advance in a chosen area.
Through skill training, a person can improve their overall performance in any identified area and in so doing can improve the overall quality of life. So, the skills needed to prepare the African youth for the future of the developing African economy thereby reducing unemployment drastically, needs to be enhanced so as to create a suitable platform for growth.
The African youth is vibrant and full of energy, with 200 million people aged between 15 and 24, Africa has the highest young people population in the world. However, despite different cultures, tribes, nationalities and beliefs, what is peculiar to these young people, is the lack of adequate preparation towards a digital economy and the future. The average African youth is angry, frustrated and discouraged, thereby lacking expectations of an improved economy.
In addition, the deteriorating standards of education as well as the non-challant attitude of some individuals involved has also been a disadvantage.
Technological advancement in an economy, which is based on digital computing technologies, has gradually sprung up in Africa and the advent of online marketing as well as e-commerce are major drivers of these established in Africa. Many countries in Africa have already started on this path, but unfortunately, some young people are left behind.
The growth of a digital economy will definitely have effects on the future of work and employments, and occupations will shift. As much as the average African youth struggles to get a good occupation, some current occupations which involves data gathering, or physical work will decline. While jobs that requires empathy, automation, technology, social media, personal judgment, and so forth, will rise.
People are going to have to move and be transitioned from certain occupations into new occupations, ones that will require acquiring new skills. In order for people especially young people to keep up, adapt, and work alongside effectively with highly capable machines, they will require a very different set of skills.
How then can the African youth be prepared for the digital economy and the future of work?
Enhancing skills needed to prepare youths starts from the grassroots. The standards of education in Africa needs to improve. This can be done if :
National education policies are reviewed. Overtime, suggestions concerning education policies have been taken with levity, this has to stop.
Also, huge investments in ICT for human capacity building has to be made. We must do our best as a continent, to ensure and create a more technology aware society, especially amongst the youths.
Another way is encouraging and establishing exchange programs between African countries and developed countries. I remember there was a time that universities in Nigeria sought desperately to engage in exchange programs but after a while this stopped. Probably because countries decided it was safer to send their students to safer countries, or perhaps Nigeria couldn't give the necessary support. However this can be re-started, it is never too late to do something great.