Labour Day 2025: Preparing Africa’s Youth for the Future of Work

Africa’s share of the global workforce is set to increase. By 2050, Africa is estimated to account for nearly 59% of the global working-age population. This means that the youth of Africa will play a significant role in the future labour market, While it remains unclear where this labour will be situated, (whether majority in the continent or evenly distributed across the world) increased digitization and demographic shifts in other regions suggests that Africa will be a focal resource for the future of work. This presents a powerful opportunity to harness Africa’s demographic advantage.  What this means, however, is that there is a significant need to prepare students for the global workforce, equipping them with transferrable skills that can be useful for the future labour force. This should be done while creating an environment that ensures that work can allow Africa’s youth to live a quality life.

What the demographics say about the future of work:

Population projections indicate that sub-Saharan Africa will account for more than half of the growth of the world’s population between 2022 and 2050. Due to this population growth, Africa’s share of the global workforce is set to increase. By 2050, Africa is estimated to account for nearly 59% of the global working-age population. In contrast, much of the developed world is grappling with aging populations and declining birth rates, which translates to a declining working age population. The declining in working age population in these developed countries is leading towards a labour shortage.

The shifts in the demographic landscape in Africa vis-à-vis other regions is positioning the continent as a focal point in the global workforce conversation. With Africa’s increasing working age population, and the developed countries labour shortages, Africa population is not only poised to serve the continent but also export human capital to the global labour force. Countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia and Kenya are projected to be at the forefront of this transformation in the future of work. Already, foreign companies have started implementing Go-to-Market strategies such as remote staffing which enable them to tap into Africa’s lower-cost and skilled workforce.

Where the challenges are: 

While this narrative of the demographic dividend in Africa offers a promising positioning for Africa’s youth, there are several challenges that threaten to hinder this promise. Youth unemployment is already a pressing issue in the continent. The rates of unemployment will only increase as the population increases if there are no strategies to support job creation within the continent.  While there is potential to export labour outside the continent, the global market place will not provide indefinite labour opportunities, and opportunities still need to be created within the continent. For instance, by 2030, the global market will require 420 million new jobs but projects indicate that only 40% of these will be created, leading to a significant gap.

Another challenge that continues is the skills gap. As the global labour force continues to evolve, the education system needs to adapt to meet the demand for the future of work. Current education systems across the continent are not preparing students for technology driven jobs and a highly digitized world. While most countries are introducing a competency-based curriculum, the implementation remains challenging. There is therefore a gap between the skills required to position Africa as a leader in the global workforce and the skills currently imparted on its youth. This is further exacerbated by the digital divide. In a highly digitilised world, and with increased technology access and smartphone penetration, it is easy to assume that the youth are conversant with digital skills. However, this is not the case and there is an ever-increasing digital divide, due to lack of digital literacy skills. We are seeing more youth using social media apps but unable to touch type, write emails, or even codes.

Without preparing for this demographic shift, this demographic opportunity will become a demographic crisis, leaving millions of youth without employment or skills for the jobs of the future. However, even for the jobs that will be created, whether in Africa or beyond, there is a pressing need to ensure that the quality of jobs created can provide Africa’s youth with a good quality of living. It is therefore not just about the quantity of jobs but the quality of jobs. Africa’s youth should not simply be viewed as a source of cheap labour due to its demographic dividend but should be rightfully compensated to ensure that they can lead meaningful lives. 

What we are doing about it:

Noting the significant role that Africa’s youth will play in the future of work, our work at H&P Foundation involves constantly trying to figure out how we can best prepare the Africa’s youth for work. Secondary education systems is the platform from which the majority of young people will enter the workforce. Our core program is to support students through secondary education through scholarships. The core of our programing is to ensure that our students are equipped with basic digital literacy. This includes writing of emails, typing up word documents, saving files among others. In addition to this, we are encouraging skills such as critical thinking, analysis and writing through book reading and reporting assignments. We are also exposing our students to the current labour market, through internship programs and career fairs, where they have a chance to learn technical skills and gain on-the-job training in the current labour market while preparing for the future market. We hope to expand this reach and increase our programing to prepare Africa’s youth for the future of work. Partner with us today to be part of this change.