African entrepreneurs are engineering economic solutions

A significant disparity exists in continental Africa where the number of young people entering the labour market outnumber the positions available by up to four-to-one.

According to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, around 10–12 million young people enter the workforce per year on a continent that creates approximately three million formal jobs. The same organisation estimates that one third of African youths aged 15–35 are unemployed, and another third are described as ‘vulnerably employed’. Women face higher unemployment and underemployment than men and face greater obstacles to job opportunities and equal pay.

Significantly, the number of African youths is predicted to double to over 830 million by 2050, an apparent demographic timebomb that could be defused by cross-continental government initiatives designed to support young entrepreneurs, many of whom are applying engineering solutions to everyday problems.

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