Africa's Young Population: Opportunity and Challenge ^{CEFR B1}

A UNICEF report published in 2023 projects that by 2050 Africa will account for around 41 percent of global births, about 40 percent of children under five, and 35 percent of adolescents. These figures make youth policy central to the continent’s future.

By contrast, Japan in 2023 had life expectancy over 80 for both men and women, with a large share of older people. Some African countries are already taking action: Nairobi’s tech hubs power the “Silicon Savannah”; Tunisia links startups to public employment; Rwanda’s digital investment cut young graduate unemployment by almost 10 percent in the past decade. Ethiopia’s Youth Revolving Fund has supported more than 200,000 youth projects since 2019, and the IFTIN Foundation in Somalia trains and employs young people while providing mental health support.

Challenges remain: UNESCO estimates more than 98 million school-aged children are out of school in Sub-Saharan Africa, and dropout rates for 15- to 17-year-olds exceed 50 percent, especially for girls. Each year 10 to 12 million young people enter the African labour market but only 3.7 million formal jobs are created. Informal work dominates in many countries. Experts recommend reforming education to match labour markets, expanding digital and technical training, ensuring universal secondary access, creating decent jobs through entrepreneurship and sector investment, and strengthening health and social protection.