Skills and Capacity building in Africa

Africa has lagged behind for several reasons in the race for economic
development. However, the picture is not that dark for the future. I strongly
believe, if we are able to exploit and develop the tremendous human resource of
African Union, it is inevitable, as never before ever witnessed, to leap forward in
the race for social and economic development.

What we need is “Skills Development and Capacity Building” in Africa.

However, it is extremely essential to equip African youth with right skills which
make them productive citizens of the society. Because, empowerment through
the acquisition of skill is the only way in which those who have lagged behind in
the race for social and economic development can catch up with the rest of the
World and go beyond it.

Youth Unemployment in Africa

Youth in Arica make up 36.9% of the working age population but 59.5% of the
total unemployed which is higher than world average (43.7%) reflecting serious
labour demand deficiencies. The share of unemployed youth among the total
unemployed can be high as 83% in Uganda, 68% in Zimbabwe (See table
below)

EMPLOYED UNEMPLOYED OUT OF THE

LABOUR FORCE
URBAN RURAL URBAN RURAL URBAN RURAL
SHIP DATA
Burundi 14.9 74 5.2 0 79.9 26
Cote d Ivoire 31.5 73.6 5.1 .6 63.4 25.9
Cameroon 25.9 55.6 12.5 3.1 61.6 41.3
Ghana 16.2 18.7 36.7 27.4 47.1 53.9
Guinea 40 92.2 16.2 2.4 43.8 5.4
Kenya 36.2 17.2 8.4 2.6 55.4 80.2
Mozambique 20.9 22.4 3.5 1.7 75.6 75.9
Mauritania 17.6 37 5.4 1.2 77 61.8
Malawi 14.5 21.2 2.6 1.1 82.9 77.7
Nigeria 22.9 23.3 6.4 4.8 70.7 71.9
Sierra Leone 22.9 56.6 67.9 38.2 9.2 9.2
Sao Tome & Principe 30.5 36.3 3.2 5.4 66.4 58.3
Uganda 25.6 16.3 2.3 .4 72.1 83.3
Zambia 16.6 53.6 11.9 3.2 71.5 43.2
SSA-14 (MEAN) 24 42.7 13.4 6.6 62.6 50.7
SSA-14 (MEDIAN) 22.9 36.7 5.9 2.5 68.6 56.1
LFS DATA
Ethiopia 40.7 81.1 10 1 49.3 17.9
Madagascar 50.5 78.4 4.6 .7 44.9 20.9
Tanzania 56 82.1 13.4 1.3 30.6 16.6

Employment Generation in Africa- Multi Sector Integrated Approach

Given the challenge faced by the youth in labour market in Africa, assuming that
young people can achieve success in pursuing employment may require long
term concerted actions that span wide range of macro economic policies and
program. Indeed, success cannot be achieved through fragmented and isolated
interventions. Policy response will require an integrated strategy for

1. Integrate rural development for job creation.

2. Public private partnership for rural development in areas of water supply,
sewerage, roads, telecom, renewable energy, Skills development and
health.
3. Institution building for market linkage between rural with urban markets.
4. Skills development as per labour market requirements
5. Micro economics policies which encourage entrepreneurship in
agriculture, food, processing and service sectors
6. Intensive Public communication of schemes, procedures and success
stories

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1. Integrate rural development for job creation

Africa rural population is very high (76%) and substantial share of the labour
force is attached to agriculture, making rural activity a major part of the equation
of youth employment therefore Africa’s development agenda must focus on rural
activities Non Farm (drinking water, sanitation, housing, roads, renewable
energy, handicrafts ) and farm ( agriculture, irrigation, agri related marketing
activities). African nations should customized and replicate Indian’s popular
integrated rural schemes like “Bharat Navrinman Yojana, “PURA” (Providing
Urban Amenity in Rural Areas), national rural health mission.

2. Public Private Partnership:

Conventional wisdom made us believe that most large global corporates have
business heart and business mind, most NGOs have social heart and social
mind, most government have wrong heart and wrong mind but we have to turn
this conventional wisdom on its head and redefine a new age corporation ; an
entity with social heart and business mind. A new age corporate through its
business mind will focus on robust systems, individuals accountability,

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 performance outcome measures, standards of execution excellence, technology
and scale of operations to impact performance but with social heart will focus
on integrated rural development in partnerships with African Union state
governments to provide urban amenities in rural areas like housing, renewable
energy, telecom, sanitation, roads, skill development centres, institutions to link
rural markets with urban markets. The new age corporate with their management
expertise & talent resources, in partnership with African Union State
Governments can create “employability and inclusive growth”

NEW AGE ENTITIES – EMPLOYABILTY AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH

ORGANISATION HEART MIND

NGO SOCIAL SOCIAL
GOVERNMENT WRONG WRONG
CORPORATE BUSINESS BUSINESS
NEW AGE CORPORATE SOCIAL BUSINESS

3. Institutional Linkage between rural urban Markets

In order to create jobs in rural Africa accelerate programmes are needed to build
“Institutions in PPP mode which connect rural products& services to urban
markets”. These institutions should standardize quality, define procurement
norms, build brand and transport products and services eg. agri products
produce from rural farmers and artisans (like juices, jams, ketchup, vegetable oil,
mustard oil, apparel, shoe and handicrafts.) to urban Africa and rest of the
world . These institutions should set franchise network in urban and semi urban
areas to market produce of rural farmers and artisans to urban Africa, Europe.

4. Skills Development as per Labour Market Requirements

African Union in partnership with international donor agencies should set up skill
centre (see diagram) to skill rural youth in (1) agriculture (2) Service Sectors. The
skills standards should be global and skills certification should be assessed by
industry association. The skills development organization should take end to end
(integrated) accountability of

a) Community mobilization (counseling on skills for employability)

b) Skill development and on the job apprenticeship.
c) Assessment and Certification by industry association
d) Placement assistance and self employability

In order to promote skills for employability the African Union should promote
“ALMS” (Achieve Labour Market Programme). There are two mail types of ALMS
which should be customized for each country in the African Union.

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 Policy to promote wage employment through subsidized placement, employment
assistance and vocational training.

Measures to encourage self employment such as training and facilitate access to credit /
5.grants
Entrepreneurship:
and other business requirements.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

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5. Entrepreneurship:
Africa is rich in natural resources. If an African youth can be skilled and
facilitated by government for entrepreneurship this itself will create foundation for
growth and employability in Africa. Such entrepreneurship interventions should
depend entirely on external funding from international donor agencies like
USAID, UNDP, WB, and UNECA. Such “entrepreneurship intervention” should
have elements targeted at helping young people to start their own business
combined with elements of skills development and on the job mentoring/
coaching in domain areas like writing projects reports, conducting market
feasibility studies, counseling on legal requirements, sales and marketing,
access to credit / start up loans

The energy, skills and aspiration of young people are invaluable assets that no
African Union country can afford to squander, helping youth to realize their full
potential by gaining access to employment is a precondition to poverty
eradication, sustainable development and ever lasting peace.