Experts at the World Economic Forum (WEF) see proactive educational reforms as the quickest way to prepare young people for new opportunities as employers say it is increasingly difficult to fill many vacant positions.
Data provided by the WEF show that more than 60 percent of Africa’s population is under the age of 25; sub-Saharan Africa is already the world’s youngest region today and by 2030, it will be home to more than one-quarter of the world’s under-25 population. Similarly, over 200 million people are unemployed globally, a trend which indicates further disruptions to the labour market, qualifying unemployment as one of the most significant societal challenges of the 21st century.
Youth in particular are deeply affected by the crisis. The consequences of this wasted talent are already felt in the form of rising social tensions and growing fears about violence, extremism and societal upheaval. This means, in the case of Africa, that as this young population, the best-educated and globally connected the continent has ever had, enters the world of work, the region has a demographic opportunity. But the region can only leverage this opportunity by unlocking latent talent and preparing its people for the future of work.
“Tackling this challenge needs the concerted efforts of all stakeholders in society. While governments must create the enabling environment that promotes inclusive growth and employment, facilitates quality education and skills development and provides safety nets for those that are marginalised” stated the WEF, in a document published on its website, titled, “Disrupting Unemployment: Business-led Solutions for Action.” The report suggested “it is critical that business, civil society and the education and training sector are also engaged in identifying and implementing solutions.”
The share of Africa’s population with at least a secondary education is set to increase from 36 percent in 2010 to 52 percent in 2030. As 15 to 20 million increasingly well-educated young people are expected to join the African workforce every year for the next three decades, delivering the ecosystem for quality jobs, and future skills to match will be imperative for fully leveraging the continent’s demographic dividend.
Data gleaned from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that in 2015 Nigeria’s labour force was in the region of 77 million people with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of N94 trillion and total hours worked were 131 billion hours with labour productivity of N718 per hour. Although labour productivity increased to N714 in the third quarter of 2016 from N638 in the second quarter of 2016, and N768 in the same quarter of 2015, it increased by 12 percent on quarterly basis but declined by 7 percent year on year.
“It takes education to make citizens more competitive and productive. When the majority of a nation’s citizens are engaged in low level production activity then there is serious trouble. Nigeria’s story is indeed a case of an economy that has stagnated over time due to the quality, nature and delivery of education” said Obiageli Ezekwesili, Nigeria’s former minister of education at a recent education convention in Lagos.
“We need to evolve an education system based on values, such as self-sacrifice, character and other timeless values. Our education system needs to develop nation builders possessed of character, steep in capacity and crowned with competence. Simply put our education should boast of wholesome individuals” added Ezekwesili, 53.
Part of a grand strategy to make Nigerians more productive and competitive is to develop every sector of the economy and this would require that vocational skills are taken seriously to curb unemployment rates.
“You see, once anyone picks up a skill they can put food on the table. The Lagos state government is working out a strategy to ensure every student graduates with a skill. We intend to make this a private sector driven initiative because the truth is that government cannot afford to provide neither all the funds nor the managerial competence required to make such a critical project successful” Obafela Bank-Olemoh, special adviser to the Lagos state governor on education said at Meadow Hall Education convention, in Lagos recently.
STEPHEN ONYEKWELU
