Excerpt of the Presentation by Rafiu Olaore as a Panelist at the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning of the United Nations (UN_IDEP) Conference on Policy Dialogue on Youth Employment, 22nd December 2022 in Senegal.
It is a great pleasure to share my views on SUCCESSFUL YOUTH EMPLOYMENT POLICIES IN AFRICA.
As we all know, youth is the future of every nation, and their positive contribution provides a peaceful and stable environment.
Transformative policy on youth employment at every level will close gender gaps, promote inclusive development and increase opportunity for all and economic growth.
Essential factors for a successful youth employment policy include access to quality education, entrepreneurship training and empowerment, decent job opportunity, business funding and support, digital knowledge, and participation in leadership and governance.
Despite encouraging formal education, promoting entrepreneurial mindsets of young people enhances their skills, capacity building, and industrialisation.
To explore the youth talent for the betterment of the nation, we need to catch them young. The environment influences the youth’s attitudes; therefore, community development is crucial to their proper upbringing.
The Government’s disposition towards the rural communities’ advancement is extremely low in developing nations, leading to many young people’s migration to urban areas.
To achieve inclusive implementation and productive results, youth education and employment should be the primary focus of all the stakeholders, including the Government, international agencies, private organisations, development partners, and civil society organisations.
At YEDIS, we collaborate with the beneficiary’s community business association leaders and youth social group representatives to provide entrepreneurship training and business empowerment to encourage and support their initiatives.
It will be of tremendous progress if the youth employment policy is community-based. When the policy approach is decentralised, and grassroots stakeholders are involved in the planning and implementation, the Government will favourably accomplish the youth employment objectives.
Youth’s inaccessibility to equitable and high-level digital skills and entrepreneurship training limits their openness to innovative skills and good networking. Promoting entrepreneurship and leveraging digital tools is necessary to increase youth engagement.
Lastly, based on African Union (AU) Agenda 2063, the AU should incorporate relevant stakeholders and effective strategic methods to support young people’s employment and a decent job.
Rafiu Akinpelu Olaore
MSc (Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Essex UK), MBA, BSc (Entrepreneurship).
Founder/CEO of the Youths Enterprise Development & Innovation society (YEDIS), Nigeria.
This is amazing. Community Development is crucial to youth employment.
You deserve the best Sir. YEDIS is global, I wish you more progress.
Well done, our Chief Executive Officer. On behalf of YEDIS members, I congratulate you. Carry on with your good work, especially on youth empowerment and community development. More blessings and abundant wisdom.