Equip African youths with appropriate skills for the current job market

Youths cut grass in a trench along Kisii Kiligoris road under Kazi Mtaani programme. [File, Standard]

Sub-Saharan Africa's economic promise is clear. It has the world's youngest and fastest-growing population. By 2050, a quarter of the world's working-age population will be living in Africa, with vast natural resources, and expanding regional markets. Yet these strengths are undermined by a persistent weakness: The region's skills gap.

Every month, around one million young Africans enter the labour market. However, 86 per cent of the jobs are in the informal sector, and too many lack the competencies demanded by both traditional industries and emerging sectors.