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The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) hosted its 60th Biannual Research Workshop at the Radisson Blu Upper Hill yesterday, drawing national and international participants from Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia.
The plenary session, themed “Youth, Demographic Dividend, Migration, and Economic Opportunities in African Economies,” was chaired by Dr. Patrick Njoroge, the immediate former Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya.
In his opening address, Dr. Njoroge emphasized the critical need to harness the potential of Africa’s youth and leverage technology to foster job creation and sustainable economic development across the continent. The session provided a timely platform for researchers to engage with policymakers and private sector leaders from various African countries, discussing strategies to address youth unemployment and maximize the benefits of the demographic dividend.
Dr. Rose Ngugi, Executive Director of the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), representing Hon. Professor Njuguna Ndung’u, Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning in Kenya, highlighted the government’s initiatives to bridge the youth unemployment gap. She stressed the dual nature of the demographic dividend as both an opportunity and a challenge.
“We need timely and actionable policies to reduce the huge unemployment gap across the continent. There is no better development plan than investing in our youth who are our future. Their continuous increase in numbers is a double-edged sword. It can be beneficial for inclusive growth and sustainability or a ticking time bomb on a quest for highly productive livelihoods if not appropriately harnessed by African governments. African governments can proactively harness demographic dividend benefits when young people have adequate employable skills and access to decent employment,” Dr. Ngugi stated.
Professor Victor Murinde, Executive Director of AERC, reiterated AERC’s dedication to providing evidence-based research for policy development aimed at improving economic opportunities for the youth. He pointed out the complex issues of job creation, migration, and demographic dynamics in Africa, highlighting the importance of job creation and poverty reduction.
“Africa is grappling with the complex issues of creating jobs, migration, and demographic dynamics. The labour market aspect of this year’s plenary underscores the importance of job creation and poverty reduction in Africa,” he said. “In Africa, despite the investment in education, access and quality of provision remain enormous challenges limiting the possibilities of youth, women and the vulnerable to have decent work. With the growing population, rapid urbanization, increased trade and technology, entrepreneurial and employment possibilities can be uncovered.”
Professor Aly Ahmadou Mbaye, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal, stressed the importance of enhancing youth productivity in the informal sector to capture the demographic dividend. He noted the critical role of productivity in international competitiveness and the need to address the employment mismatch in the informal sectors.
“The African informal work sector’s importance to the continent’s development in providing jobs for the youths cannot be overemphasized. However, the sector’s full potential to accommodate the ever-growing youthful population across the African continent is yet to be realized, and as policymakers, we need evidence-based sessions like this one to convince governments on the need to pay more attention to this area,” he explained.
The workshop also featured presentations by prominent economists, including Prof. Imran Rasul of University College London, who discussed strategies for tackling youth unemployment in Africa, and Prof. Lant Pritchett from the University of Oxford, who emphasized investing in human capital and education for a demographic dividend. Blaise Gnimassoun from Université de Lorraine and Université Paris Nanterre presented on migration policies in Africa’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
A high-level policy panel discussion, moderated by Ms. Maggie Mutesi from Africatalyst, explored the opportunities, risks, and challenges affecting youth in Africa. The discussion aimed to generate evidence on how African economies can harness the trade-offs of the demographic dividend and migration for sustainable development.
The workshop’s concurrent sessions, starting today, will feature 63 presentations on various research topics within AERC’s thematic research program. These include poverty, income distribution and labour markets, macroeconomic policies and growth, finance and resource mobilization, production, trade, and economic integration, as well as agriculture, climate change, and natural resource management.
Emerging suggestions from the ongoing AERC meeting emphasize the need for human capital development to enhance youth employability and entrepreneurship through widespread Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Aligning education curricula with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses is also recommended to spur innovation and job creation in the digital space, manufacturing sector, and the future driven by artificial intelligence.
