From the article: Africa may have one of the highest labour participation rates in the world, but most of its workers remain trapped in informal, low-paying jobs that fail to provide a way out of extreme poverty.

With a working-age population of around 900 million (ages 15–64), abundant natural resources and a rapidly advancing digital landscape, Africa is facing significant shifts in its employment landscape. The labour market presents both critical challenges and vast opportunities, with ongoing transformation from agriculture to manufacturing, and from informal to formal work. Patterns vary significantly across regions: urban areas foster jobs in manufacturing and digital services, while rural areas continue to depend on agriculture and mining.

Africa’s work and jobs landscape holds significant potential, but to unlock it, the continent requires good leadership, inclusive policies and sustainable long-term investment in education and skills development. As the continent advances toward a future shaped by its youthful population, it needs a shift in mindset and policy that would allow a speedier escape from poverty compared with the slow progress envisioned in the Current Path. 

On the one hand, governments must go beyond job creation to raise job quality, ensuring fair wages, protections and resilience to future shocks. Without bold action, the promise of Africa’s demographic dividend could give way to deeper economic fragility and inequality.

On the other hand, African governments must help to create a culture of entrepreneurship, so that Africa will be able to reduce unemployment. Attitudes need to change from ‘getting an education to get a job’ to ‘getting an education to create jobs and opportunities’. Better skills lead to better work.