Africa has the world’s youngest population, with over 60 percent below the age of 25 years. A projected doubling of the population by mid-century would make the continent home to one in three of the world’s youth (15-24 years) and one in four of young adults (25-34 years). Young Africans, therefore, will significantly determine Africa’s growth trajectory and its overall impact on the global economy. In line with this, SADC-AAP hosted a dialogue on youth empowerment through employment and entrepreneurship development in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on 4 and 5 April 2022 in Gaborone, Botswana.

Dr Olebogeng Selebi, Deputy Director of the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Centre for the Future of Work (CFoW) represented UP at the dialogue.

Sharing her views on youth empowerment in Africa at the event, she remarked that “we very often speak of Africa’s natural resources but, our youth are our greatest resource and, considering the high unemployment rate across the continent, understanding what the future of work will look like for our youth is pertinent to the success of our continent.”

                                                                Dr Olebogeng Selebi, Deputy Director of the CFoW

This policy dialogue was jointly organised by the SADC Secretariat and institutions within the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP), to initiate a conversation on how key stakeholders in regional institutions, national governments, higher education institutions, the private sector, and others, can join efforts to empower young people with educational, life, and entrepreneurial skills. The AAP is a consortium of 11 universities and 1 policy research institution, which includes four SADC universities namely the University of Botswana (Botswana), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Malawi), the University of Pretoria (South Africa), and the University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). Other participating universities included Egerton University (Kenya), University of Nigeria Nsukka (Nigeria), Makerere University (Uganda), Université Cheikh Anta Diop (Senegal), Université des Lettres et des Sciences Humaines de Bamako (Mali), United States International University (Kenya), Michigan State University (USA) and ReNAPRI, a network of agricultural policy institutes with headquarters in Zambia.

This collaboration between the SADC Secretariat and the AAP is one of the outcomes of a meeting of Vice-Chancellors from four SADC universities with SADC’s Executive Secretary, Elias Magosi held in October 2021. UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Tawana Kupe was part of the meeting.

The meeting reiterated the need for deepening collaboration between SADC and higher education institutions and affiliate institutions in the region in the implementation of SADC’s developmental priorities to address the multitude of challenges that have for decades impinged on the growth of the region.

At the meeting, it was agreed that one of the most critical and priority areas of action for member states is to tackle the “Youth Question” as cohorts of young men and women in the region have become spectators to education, decision making, political participation and the world of work.

Watch day 1 of the SADC-AAP dialogue

Watch day 2 of the SADC-AAP dialogue

About the CFoW

The CFoW at UP is envisioned to be a key connector and symbiotic enabler between the University and the private and public sectors, with the aim of engendering public debate, developing tools and insights towards addressing a multitude of disciplines and factors impacting on the future of work in an African context.

Visit the CFoW LinkedIn page