Finding employment for the thirty million young people who arrive on the labor market each year is a major issue, at the heart of the reflection of the 21st Economic Forum of the OECD on Africa which took place on June 10 in Paris. On the occasion of this Forum, we interviewed Christian Yoka, Director of the Africa Department of the French Development Agency (AFD) on the issue of youth and employment in the development of the continent.
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Franceinfo Africa: while the continent was barely beginning to recover from the Covid crisis, it is once again weakened by the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine…
Christian Yoka: IAfrica has experienced a rather enviable growth rate over the past twenty years, of the order of 5%, but the pandemic has come to stop this momentum, with the consequence of the disappearance of 17 million jobs for the year 2020 alone. So that we were beginning to glimpse an economic upturn, the war in Ukraine has revived concerns and uncertainties: sharp increases in the prices of food products and energy, interest rates which are soaring and which are aggravating the indebtedness of these countries , at the expense of the investments needed to resume growth. Restarting activity will require powerful support from the international community. Already in 2021, the IMF had to approve a general allocation of special drawing rights (SDRs) equivalent to 650 billion dollars, in order to increase liquidity in the context of the pandemic. Further efforts will no doubt be necessary.
How to find jobs for the millions of young people who arrive each year on the labor market?
Half of Africans are under 25 and more than thirty million enter the labor market each year. For there to be massive job creation, it is necessary to act on several levers: economic growth, a dynamic private sector, a good business environment conducive to the development of entrepreneurship, but also education and vocational training quality. It is also necessary to allow the deployment of effective professional integration systems in order to optimize the labor markets: linking companies and job seekers, in particular young people, creation of skills in line with the employment pools . It is therefore necessary to act on these different tables.
What concrete action does AFD propose to improve the employability of young people?
In Tunisia, for example, we have set up “the new chance scheme” aimed at young dropouts aged 18 to 30, with the support of the Tunisian Employment Agency. In Cameroon, the AFD supports agricultural vocational training, and provides financial support for the first installation of young farmers, with very good results. In Morocco, we support the deployment of the national employment promotion policy in three pilot regions. In Côte d’Ivoire, we support the deconcentration of the Youth Employment Agency and issue honorary loans to support business creation. We also promote peer-to-peer exchanges through cooperation between French players (Pôle Emploi, Initiative France, French universities, research or vocational training centres) and their African counterparts.
What are the priority sectors today for the continent?
Undoubtedly agriculture and the energy sector, digital. Agriculture is a necessity. The aim is to provide a response to food crises, to promote the diversification of economies through the creation of value chains that provide jobs and economic opportunities. An agriculture that must be sustainable and draw inspiration from agro-ecological principles, because many African countries are already severely exposed to global warming and desertification, in particular due to increased frequency of droughts. Another priority sector, infrastructure aimed at improving the connectivity of territories (transport, digital) but also and above all energy. Renewable energy needs are colossal, several African countries have embarked on an energy transition that we want to support, like South Africa.
In the Sahel, the cycle of violence and poverty seems to be pushing these countries towards the abyss…
We must debunk the idea that violence in the Sahel is preventing the development of the economy of these countries. Despite the jihadist violence, the economies of the region have experienced strong growth until 2020. The recovery will take place, as in the other regions of the Continent. The Sahel is not a lost cause, far from it. We must continue to invest in this area despite security tensions. Agriculture must be supported with, in particular, the Great Green Wall project. We must also provide the youth of this region with the training and economic opportunities we were talking about at the beginning of this interview.